How to rescue a dry holiday roast: Quick fixes and tips
On the first day of the world, we can already make a summary. We know which dishes turned out great and where culinary slip-ups occurred. In the latter case, not all is lost yet. We suggest how to save a dry roast.
For the holidays, we traditionally prepare meat roasts. Aromatic pieces of loin, ham, or bacon served with horseradish or tartar sauce are my favourite cold appetizers. Although the roasts are often ready by December 24th, we don't eat them then because most of us observe the fast. They wait for the first day of Christmas.
Don't analyze, act
We often know something is wrong after taking the roast out of the oven. It's immediately apparent when it's dry or even slightly burnt. In the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, this can happen. We might set the timer too long, forget to take the roast out of the oven at a specific time or baste it during baking. There can be many reasons. There's no point in analyzing them; it's better to think about how to save dry meat.
A few ways to try
- You can easily infuse dry meat with moisture by placing it in a strainer and holding it over boiling water under a cover for several minutes.
- In such cases, butter can also be relied upon to absorb quickly. Slice the dried meat into pieces and drizzle with broth and butter. Please put it in the oven for 10 minutes; the temperature shouldn't be too high. 120°C (250°F) is enough.
- Transfer the roast to a large pot, add spices, and cover with water. Cook it for over an hour on low heat, then leave it in the water until it cools.
Or maybe a new dish
A good way to transform the dry roast into another dish is to trim the burnt crust and cut it into small pieces. These are then ready to be used in casseroles, soups, or sauces.
Roasted meat in sauce
Ingredients:
- approx. 10–14 oz of roasted meat,
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce,
- 2 tablespoons of cream or mascarpone cheese,
- 1 can of tomatoes,
- onion, carrot, parsley, any vegetables, optionally,
- oil for frying,
- parsley for serving.
Instructions:
- Cut the roast into small pieces.
- Grate or chop the selected vegetables into small pieces.
- Heat the oil and sauté the vegetables. Then add the meat.
- Next, add the can of tomatoes and stir.
- Season the whole dish with soy sauce.
- Finally, add the cream or mascarpone cheese.
- Serve the sauce sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
