Flavouring roast potatoes at Christmas

[seans_potato_business]

I prefer roast potatoes which have been cooked around a joint of pork, cooking in and absorbing the pork juices and flavour. However at Christmas, we usually cook a turkey. Thus I wonder, is there some form of pork fat that the potatoes can be cooked in? Would it be okay to have the turkey cooking in the same dish, being basted with the same pork fat? Or would you be inclined to keep them separate?

 

[Claire]

Well, I don't know how old you are, but the version of "pork fat" for roasting or frying potatoes in is old-fashioned bacon fat. Mom always kept a jar of it on the counter, but you can do something similar by just buying a pound and making breakfast or BLTs for your family the day/week before, draining and, if you want it pretty, straining, the fat. Yummy yum yum.

 

[Zhizara]

Well, I don't know how old you are, but the version of "pork fat" for roasting or frying potatoes in is old-fashioned bacon fat. Mom always kept a jar of it on the counter, but you can do something similar by just buying a pound and making breakfast or BLTs for your family the day/week before, draining and, if you want it pretty, straining, the fat. Yummy yum yum.

You said it, Claire! I usually leave the bacon fat in the pan and just keep cooking more bacon in it. If the opportunity arises to cook something in it, I do so, if not, it gets melted and poured into a container I keep in the fridge to use as needed. It's good stuff

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I use goose fat, I par boil the pots, roughen them a little by shaking the drained pan, then chill them, dip them in the room temp goose fat so it coats the spud, chill till I need them, then roast in a hot oven. Olive oil works well if you have no goose fat.

 

[taxlady]

I use goose fat, I par boil the pots, roughen them a little by shaking the drained pan, then chill them, dip them in the room temp goose fat so it coats the spud, chill till I need them, then roast in a hot oven. Olive oil works well if you have no goose fat.

I'm envious. I guess you still get fat geese. I used to cook a goose for solstice. I used to get about a litre and half of beautiful white goose fat. Then they started getting leaner. I guess they are supposed to be healthier I quit buying goose when I could get barely a quarter litre of fat. The goose wasn't as moist and my (then) new husband much prefers white meat.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Tax mate, we are having goose for Lunch today, Lidl a German supermarket chain sell a wonderful frozen bird for £19.99,as there only two of us here today there will be lots of cold cuts, cold roast goose is fab, it is easy to buy goose fat over here in the supermarkets.

 

[cooltouch]

+1 for bacon fat. Everything tastes better when cooked with bacon. That's one of the immutable laws of the universe or something, isn't it?

 

[FrankZ]

I am fairly partial to using duck fat. Of course getting my hands on duck fat can be iffy.

 

[cooltouch]

I am fairly partial to using duck fat. Of course getting my hands on duck fat can be iffy.

I'll wager you have a Chinese grocery somewhere not too far away, or one of the places that has the ducks hanging in the window. That should get you started if you do.

 

[FrankZ]

I keep threatening to roast another duck, I just need to make sure I have the time and the duck.

 

[CasperImproved]

You said it, Claire! I usually leave the bacon fat in the pan and just keep cooking more bacon in it. If the opportunity arises to cook something in it, I do so, if not, it gets melted and poured into a container I keep in the fridge to use as needed. It's good stuff

I do the same. I keep a jar of bacon drippings in the fridge for whenever I need the flavor edge, or if I make green beans as a side. Minced, fried onions, with 2 TB of bacon grease, and a lb of green beans.

Heaven.

 

[buckytom]

I am fairly partial to using duck fat. Of course getting my hands on duck fat can be iffy.

wascaly wabbits are much twickier.




i keep 3 jars of bacon fat in the fridge, a basic one, a jar from maple cured bacon, and jar from heavily smoked bacon.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It seems to me that threads almost always turn into bacon, bacon fat discussions...

Or am I just fantasizing/hallucinating, again?

 

[FrankZ]

wascaly wabbits are much twickier.

I am not allowed to even joke about cooking wabbits....

 

[buckytom]

lol, frank. wabbits are dewicious.

maybe it'll be ok if you sing pasty kwines "cwazy" while you cook.

cwazy,

cwazy for feewin' wike i do-o-o-o-o-o.


or maybe spwingsteen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCpTAJDhb5U

 

[babetoo]

gosh, he is a funny man. has given me many laughs in my life .

 

[taxlady]

I have added it to two of my YouTube lists. That's wonderful.

I'm really pleased to see the attitude to bacon fat expressed here. I am so tired of people who think I'm weird or trailer trash for using bacon fat.

 

[Zhizara]

I have added it to two of my YouTube lists. That's wonderful.

I'm really pleased to see the attitude to bacon fat expressed here. I am so tired of people who think I'm weird or trailer trash for using bacon fat.

You may be a little weird, but in a way we love, but never trash. Some people (not DCers) are food snobs. They don't know what they're missing.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Personally, I think you are smart if you use bacon fat, you've already paid for it and it tastes divine!

 

[Zhizara]

Personally, I think you are smart if you use bacon fat, you've already paid for it and it tastes divine!

YAY, I'm smart too. I hadn't thought about the fact that it was already paid for. Good point.

"Pork fat rules!" Like Emeril says.