Recipe Courtesy of Executive Chef Zac Janssen of Skamania Lodge
You don’t have to be an executive chef to whip up this main dish and sides to impress dinner guests. This recipe keeps things easy with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store and in your pantry.
Cross Rib Roast
Ingredients: • 1 cross rib roast • 12 garlic cloves • 4 sprigs of thyme • 2 sprigs of rosemary • ¼ cup red wine vinegar • ½ cup canola oil • Kosher salt, as needed • Fresh cracked pepper, as needed
Method: • Preheat oven to 450˚F. • Mince garlic, pick thyme and rosemary (chop fine). Make a rub with oil, vinegar, garlic and herbs. Season the meat with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. • Place meat on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 450˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size of roast and oven. • Reduce oven heat to 250˚F and slow roast for about 90 minutes. (Internal temperature should be about 120˚F.) • Depending on how you like your meat, you can either cook less or more.
Mashed Potatoes (Skin on or skin off; your choice)
Ingredients:
• 2 cups heavy cream • 4 oz. butter • ½ cup sour cream • Kosher salt, as needed • White pepper, as needed • 1 oz. chives • 2 lbs. potatoes
Method:
• Large/medium dice your potato of choice and place in salted cold water. Cover with about 1 inch of water (dependent on your batch size). Boil till soft or steam if you have a steamer. • Heat heavy cream and butter until warm. • Slice the chives finely. • Once potatoes are done and butter/cream is warm, use a bowl or pan (whatever will store the potatoes and give you extra space to smash, mix, mash, etc.). • Place potatoes in said vessel, add butter/cream, kosher salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, and mix. • Once you are close to the right consistency (somewhere between super soft and runny to super stiff and dry), add some sour cream until it gives it a bit of tang. • Add chives mix and keep warm.
Roasted Veggies Ingredients: • 16 oz. carrots • 8 oz. yellow onion • 2 bulbs of fennel • Canola oil, as needed • Kosher salt, as needed • Fresh cracked black pepper, as needed
Method:
• Preheat oven to 425˚F. • Clean your veggies. Peel your carrots and onion. Remove the core of the fennel. All veggies can be cut to preference. • Once all veggies are cut proportionally (close to the same size so they cook equally), lightly coat with canola oil, and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. • Place on a sheet pan and roast until knife/fork tender. Ideally you want to build some color/caramelization, so a bit of char is not bad. (Do not over/undercook your veggies. Crunchy or burnt and super soft veggies are bad.)