Sundays Are the Best!

Growing up, was it a roast chicken or a roast beef that was the traditional “roast” supper in your home? In our house, it all depended upon how many people were at the table. Chicken for smaller gatherings, a big roast beef when the house was overflowing with people.

We’ve talked about how roast beef became a Sunday staple, especially in England. Families often attended Church services, followed by a shared meal. Back then you didn’t have the convenience of driving to church, spending an hour with the Lord, then home again to plop down in front of the TV. Services were often lengthy. Many families walked to services or went in a horse-drawn wagon. A big roast in a slow oven was practical, especially at a time when extended families sharing a meal was commonplace. During the Depression in America, roast chicken became the more practical Sunday supper. Most people outside of the city had a few chickens running around in their yards but very few had cows grazing on the front lawn.

Sunday suppers provided families with the ability to connect with others, to drawn closer in their shared faith. Sundays were the Lord’s Day no doubt.

There were so many things I took for granted growing up. Most of all, it was the anchor my mother provided within the family dynamics. After her passing, we began to unravel, wandering off in different directions. While the immediate family remained tethered together for another 15 years, the extended family almost immediatly drifted away. Over time, we lost that connection. Everything changed. Each of my sisters and I tried to fill that role our mother had once occupied, none could fill her shoes. I miss her. Ours was a strained relationship that is often the case between a mother and her eldest daughter. Despite the squables and disagreements, the love remained.

What I would not give for one last Sunday surrounded by Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins taking up an entire pew of the church. And those delicious Sunday Suppers that followed shared with extended family, friends and our Parish Priest. Here’s to the sweet memories of what Sundays are meant to be.

Sunday Roast over Mashed Potatoes
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large White Onion
8 whole Carrots
4 lb Chuck Roast
1 cup Red Wine
2-1/2 cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Rosemary
4 sprigs Thyme
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add about 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil.

While the pot heats, cut two onions in half from root to tip, peel and set aside. Clean carrots without peeling, slice into 2-inch pieces cut on the bias, discarding tips and ends. When the oil in the pot is hot (but not yet smoking), add in the halved onions, browning the onions on one side and then the other, about 1 minute per side. Remove the onions to a plate.

Add the carrots to the same hot pan, using tongs to toss them a bit in the hot oil until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove carrots and set aside with the onions.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear the roast for about a minute or so per side until it is browned all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use approximately 1 cup of red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of browned bits from the onions, carrots and beef that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

When the bottom of the pan is deglazed, return the roast to the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway; about 2 cups. Return the onion and the carrots to the pot. Scatter the sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme, pushing the sprigs down with a wooden spoon to submerge the herbs into the liquid.

Place lid on the pot, place pot in the heated oven; slow roasting the meat for 4 hours. During last 30 minutes of roasting, make mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes
3 lbs Russet Potatoes
Water as needed
1/2 cup Milk
4 tablespoons Butter
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a pot on the stovetop with enough water to just cover the potatoes, Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain potatoes. Return to heat for 1 minute to dry. In a small pan warm the milk with the butter. Once warmed, pour over the potatoes and begin to mash, heating through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes out on a warm serving platter.

When finished, remove roast from liquid and slice or use two forks to shred. Serve the roast over mashed potatoes with the carrots on the side.

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I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.