Introducing the Roast Wind Up Bird Chronicle.
Aka My friends helped make a roast. This is a meal based on 2 suggestions after I asked friends online what a good meal to recover health in winter would be. Recently I have been sleeping too much and not eating right.
First we have a slight variation on Andre's Roast turkey dinner. No turkey in Japan so I went for chicken.
Small strips of chicken breast roasted in basil, salt, pepper and nutmeg. After 5 - 10 minutes I added the runner beans to the 'oven' so they could cook together. While doing this I boiled the potatoes and lightly fried garlic and onion until golden and added maitake (mushrooms) with mirin and tonkatsu sauce. This was the substitute for the gravy. When the potatoes were done I seasoned them with nutmeg and butter (cinnamon is better if you have it).
Put it all on a dish, gave it final blast in the oven for a minute and then ready.
Serve with a good white wine and/or a tall glass of water.
Afters is chocolate cake (triple choc is recommended if you have it) and a shot of coffee.
Verdict: Result was amazing. This is probably the best roast I've made in Japan. Those that live here will understand about the not having a decent oven situation so I was very pleased with this. Big shout out to Andre Martinez for the meal idea and Kev Carr for the mushrooms. Maitake are good for recovering from fatigue and are what Kev ate for 6 weeks after completing his world run. Andre is an ex marine so enough said.
I have not eaten this well on a Sunday since living in the UK. This was just enough food, anymore would have been over doing it. The best part is my apartment now smells how a warm Sunday should with the roast vegetables and the coffee.
