I Want to be a Domesticated Goddess (Part 1)

I’ve never been much of the homemaker sort. My friends will probably tell you that is the understatement of the year. Even when I moved out to my own place this year, I still bring mum my laundry and she very promptly arranges a part-time maid to clean my house every week. I figure it’s time for a change.

I am still adverse to cleaning, of course. But cooking, now, that’s a different story. I love love love food. And I’m darned good at hunting down the best chow around. Surely that is a sign of talent? Haha. Cooking can’t be that hard, can it?

Well, there was only one way to find out. So a few weekends ago I invited some close friends over to the Shoebox for a roast beef dinner. I am told it is easy to prepare a roast beef. Invest in a good cut, marinate well, throw into the oven and pay it some attention while it cooks itself. This was my plan for my 2kg (serves 8) of meat:

5.30pm - Preheat oven to 220c, put beef with halves of onion, sear roast for 30min
6pm - Turn heat down to 160c, baste #1 Parboil potatoes in salted water for 10min.
6.30pm - Put potatoes into oven, baste #2
7pm - Baste #3
7.10pm - Remove roast from oven when middle is 50c. Turn up temperature for another 20min to crisp potatoes.
7.30pm - Let meat stand for 20min with foil over it. Remove potatoes from oven. Serve!

To be honest, I had Domino’s number on speed dial, just in case the roast beef experiment went wrong. But guess what, it was a tremendous success! Check out my perfect medium rare roast! Whoever invented the meat thermometer is a genius *grin*

The roast potatoes and onions were simply lovely too. Yellow onions taste fantastic when roasted. Keeping the potato skins on was a good decision too, everyone loved the contrast between the creamy insides and the crisp outside. All that time in the oven soaking up the fat from the roast imparted so much flavour into them.

I am so proud of myself. See, Liz can cook!

Of course, minor victories like these are best shared with the excellent company of friends, and of course, the special bottle of Rebourgeon-Mure Pommard 1er Cru "Clos des Arvelets" 2007 I popped open.

This is definitely something I would try again. A pork loin, perhaps, the next time?