Holidays : Heavenly Roasts

Recipe for a roast? Once you get past taking its temperature, there’s really not that much to cooking a roast. Salt and pepper the outside, maybe rub in a little garlic. . . .

When we tested the effects of various cooking temperatures, that’s all we did and the results were delicious. In fact, one especially dedicated carnivore wanted to include every trial roast on her list of the year’s best recipes.

Obviously, you can’t go far wrong. But here are a few ideas you can use for more festive preparations. The prime rib with horseradish jus and Port wine-glazed pork crown roast come from Jim Hall, a recent California Culinary Academy graduate who is working in The Times Test Kitchen as an extern.

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You can make a quick lamb stock for this dish simply by boiling bones and trimmings from lamb in canned chicken broth while the rack is roasting.

RACK OF LAMB WITH RED WINE SAUCE

1 (3-pound) rack of lamb

1 clove garlic, cut in half

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Oil

1 cup red wine

1 cup lamb stock or chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

Have butcher prepare rack of lamb by removing “aitch” and feather bones and “Frenching” ribs.

If preferred, French ribs at home. Cut away 1 1/2 to 2 inches of meat from between ribs. With point of knife, make cut through membrane along length of trimmed part of rib. Scrape meat, fat and membrane away from ribs. Wrap ribs in foil to prevent scorching.

Rub meat all over with cut cloves of garlic. Sprinkle liberally to taste with salt, pepper and rosemary. Rub with bit of oil, no more than 1 tablespoon, massaging herbs into meat. Lightly oil roasting rack and bottom of roasting pan. Set meat, bone-side down, on rack in pan.

Roast at 500 degrees 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook another 1/2 hour. Continue cooking afterwards, checking temperature every 10 minutes by plunging instant-read thermometer horizontally into meat. Cook to interior temperature of 130 to 140 degrees, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from pan and place on platter, covering with foil to keep warm (remember temperature will increase at least 5 degrees while resting).

Pour excess fat from roasting pan, leaving no more than 1 tablespoon in bottom. Place roasting pan over high heat and cook until brown bits begin to sizzle. Add red wine and cook, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to free all browned bits. Continue cooking until wine is reduced to 1 to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Add stock and continue cooking until reduced by half, another 3 to 5 minutes. With pan still over heat, add butter and whisk, thickening sauce very slightly. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Carve lamb and serve with sauce alongside. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

854 calories; 435 mg sodium; 157 mg cholesterol; 77 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

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In central Italy they have a passion for porchetta, a whole roast pig liberally crusted with black pepper and fennel seeds. Once, while attending a conference at a fancy hotel in the tiny Umbrian town of Torgiano, I noticed the little grocery store had a hand-printed sign in the window: “Porchetta Oggi” (“Porchetta Today”). They sold it in sandwiches. For an entire week, after the lavish formal conference lunches, I would walk up the street for porchetta. As the week wore on, I noticed more and more attendees joining me. Taste this and you’ll understand why.

UMBRIAN-STYLE PORK ROAST

1 tablespoon whole black pepper

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 (3-pound) pork loin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Grind pepper, fennel seeds and salt in spice grinder or coffee mill until fine. Set pork loin on plate to catch excess and rub powder over meat, covering all sides thickly. Pour olive oil over spiced meat and massage to work in spices and coat evenly. Set aside to marinate at room temperature 2 hours.

Place roast on rack in roasting pan in 325-degree oven. Roast, undisturbed, until interior temperature reaches 155 degrees, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check roast in several places with instant-read thermometer, being careful not to touch bone.

When done, remove from oven. Let stand in warm, draft-free spot 20 to 30 minutes to let juices set before slicing thinly. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

353 calories; 897 mg sodium; 109 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 1 gram carbohy-drates; 33 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.

PRIME RIB WITH HORSERADISH JUS

1 (8- to 10-pound) beef standing rib roast

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Oil

1/2 cup brandy

2 teaspoons horseradish

Have butcher French rib bones. Rub roast all over with garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Lightly oil roasting pan, place roast in pan, and roast at 350 degrees about 1 1/2 hours, or when instant-read meat thermometer inserted in center of roast registers 130 degrees. Remove roast from oven. Place on warm serving platter. Let stand at least 15 and as much as 30 minutes.

Pour off fat from roasting juices and reserve juices. Over high heat, add brandy to roasting pan and ignite brandy, swirling juices in pan while scraping up any dark bits. When flames die down, liquid should be sufficiently reduced to about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Add reduced brandy to reserved roasting juices. Stir in horseradish. Carve roast at table. Pour spoonful of horseradish jus over each serving. Makes 16 to 20 servings.

Each of 16 servings contains about:

211 calories; 107 mg sodium; 80 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 0 gram carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

PORT WINE-GLAZED PORK CROWN ROAST

1 large clove garlic, cut in half

1 (7- to 8-pound) pork crown roast

1/2 teaspoon minced thyme

1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary

1/2 teaspoon minced marjoram

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

Port Wine Glaze

1/4 cup brandy

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon water

Rub cut side of garlic halves over all surfaces of roast. Sprinkle thyme, rosemary, marjoram and salt and pepper to taste over meat and rub over all. Lightly brush roasting pan with olive oil. Place roast in pan crown side up. Cover tips of bones with foil to prevent burning.

Roast at 325 degrees until meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Brush with Port Wine Glaze during last 15 minutes of roasting. Remove roast to carving board. Let stand about 15 minutes before carving.

Pour off juices from pan, about 1/2 cup. Add brandy to roasting pan stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan and flame. Pour into small pan along with juices from roasting. Stir in 2 tablespoons Port Wine Glaze. Heat to simmering. Combine cornstarch and water until blended. Stir into sauce. Bring to boil. Boil and stir until slightly thickened and clear.

Serve tablespoon of sauce along with each serving of roast. Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Each of 12 servings contains about:

613 calories; 136 mg sodium; 139 mg cholesterol; 43 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 37 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

Port Wine Glaze

1 cup red Port wine

1/2 cup red currant jelly

Combine wine and currant jelly in small saucepan. Heat to simmer. Reduce to 1/2 cup. Reserve 2 tablespoons glaze for sauce. Makes 1/2 cup.