Kefta Burgers

I got out the grill for the first time this year.  Oof, it needed a cleaning.

I did a recipe for keftas way-way back in the early days of the blog, but that was for the traditional version.  This time, I made them burger sized and put them on the grill.  I make them mostly the same as I did 15 years ago, but all recipes evolve.  And I had a super huge green onion from the garden to work with, so this one's onion-heavy.

In the theme of making this a garden meal, I had my burgers with chard and a cucumber-mint soup that used up the rest of the green onion and some cucumbers I had in the fridge.  Not exactly a typical 4th of July barbecue, but it worked for me.

1 lb ground lamb
*1 C finely chopped green onion
*1/4 C finely chopped parsley
*1/4 C finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
4 hamburger buns, for serving

1.  In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Knead well to distribute the seasonings evenly.  Chill for an hour for the flavors to meld while you heat up the grill.

2.  Form meat into four patties.  Set on the grill.  Every grill is different, and uses a different type of heat.  Even two piles of charcoal will produce different results.  With the lid closed, my burgers took ten minutes per side to get to medium doneness.  They're ready to flip when they come off the grate easily.  That's how you know you have char.  You can also temp them to about 160º.  Remember, ground meat should be a higher internal temperature than steaks or roasts.

3.  Serve on the buns, toasted if desired.  I considered a tahini dressing, then decided to have them naked.  I didn't even put any veggies on it.  Dress them as desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Lamb Fondue

I got some lamb "kabob" meat, then had to figure out what to do with it.  I considered Stoo, harira, a chunky shepherd's pie, kebabs, or a tagine.  Then I decided to just do far too much prep work and get out the fondue pot.  Good thing I didn't go with grilling, because it rained out of nowhere.

I'm putting "parties" on as a label, because something this devoted to presentation should have an audience.  We did have fondue nights growing up with just the four of us, but it was always an event.  Not usually on a holiday, just something everyone recognized as a special dinner.  This was when we each had three dipping sauces in little cups that I still use.  My mom was careful with the portioning, and we rarely had any leftovers to repurpose.

Despite going to two stores for the best deals, this one got spendy fast.  I realized I was cooking the same day as shopping and took advantage of clearances, but I did bring in everything except the yogurt and the last lettuce in the garden.  I've been doing very well on the grocery bills lately, and was planning on freezer and pantry meals for the next week with zero new groceries.  It all averages out if you're looking at what is on hand before shopping.

If you're new to hot oil fondue, there are some very important rules to follow.  Number one is managing cross-contamination.  The raw food needs a separate plate.  I caution against serving any kind of finger food with this, including bread, since you will be touching the raw lamb with your fingers and likely not getting up to wash each time.  Number two, the fork will be very hot coming out of the pot.  Do not touch it, never put it in your mouth, and use your eating fork or knife to remove the cooked item.  If serving vegetarians or vegans, have a second pot for any non-meats.

*1 lb lamb stew meat
other dippers of choice such as another protein, mushrooms, par-boiled potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, etc
*1/2 C Greek yogurt
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
*2 Tb chopped cilantro 

1.  Prepare your fondue pot according to manufacturer's directions.  I used the electric one, which was kind of big for what I was doing, but far easier to set up and clean.

2.  Start heating 1 quart of oil on the stove.  Some fondue pots go straight from stovetop to the holder.  Others, like mine, you have to heat the oil separately.  Technically, you can do it over the fondue element, but it takes a lot longer.

3.  Prepare your raw meat platter.  The pieces should be no larger than two bites.  I don't mind cutting mine after cooking.  If they're too large, they take forever and lower the temperature of the pot.

4.  Whisk up the yogurt, vinegar, cilantro, and spices for a dipping sauce.  I also got out some pesto for the veggies.  It's fun to have more than one option.

5.  Make sure every place setting has a plate for cooked items, regular utensils, and fondue forks.  Most come with two of each color.  I also put a salad on mine ahead of time.  You can do group sauces if no one double dips, or give each person an ounce or so of each.

6.  To cook the lamb, skewer one piece on the pointy end.  Gently lower it into the oil so it doesn't splatter.  I tend to char mine as a personal preference, but rare is ok for everything except chicken and seafood.  If you put the veggies on the same plate as the meat, they must be cooked for at least a minute due to cross-contamination.

7.  Once done, remove piece from fondue fork onto eating plate, start up the next one, and enjoy your meal!

Difficulty rating :-0

Irish Stew

I really wanted to make a whole meal in the large Crockpot.  I wasn't in the mood for corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day and found this to make instead.

What I found around the interwebs was that Irish stew is commonly made with either beef or lamb.  What makes it "Irish" is the beer.  I've never had Guinness, so I just bought a single bottle and felt guilty about it.  The checkers at the grocery store don't care.  They don't even check ID on me anymore.  (Thanks, grey hair and eye bags.)  I did not buy Worcestershire, since the last thing I want right now is another condiment in the fridge I can't use during Passover.  I subbed soy sauce.

The lamb came from Western Kosher, a surprising development.  I was in there for hamantaschen filling, but they didn't have the prune.  Does no one like it anymore?  Hoping the stop wasn't a waste, I went looking for lamb stew meat or shanks, and found neck bones for $2.99 a pound.  Had to get three pounds to have enough meat off them, but that still came out less than the two shanks I had expected to buy at Pavilions, and they would make their own protein-rich broth.

I'm starting a new broth bag.  I still have plenty of chicken stock left, but the veggie is out.  Beef may end up being cheaper to buy unless I find a killer deal on bones again.  All the mirepoix veggies I've been using the past couple of weeks are adding up fast, so I might as well.

I'm using the slow-cooker recipe from Seeking Good Eats.  The biggest change I made was using half as much thyme and salt.  Oh, and I added half a bag of green beans at the end because it's all root vegetables.  You can do the same thing in a pot on the stove set to simmer or in the oven at 225ºF for about four hours.  I needed something to cook all day and be ready when I got home.

1 lb lamb stew meat, 2 lamb shanks, or 3 lbs lamb neck slices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1 lb red potatoes, peeled if desired, cut in chunks
*1 Tb Worcestershire or soy sauce 
*1 Tb tomato paste
*2 tsp dried thyme
*1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp kosher salt (one if using salted broth)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tb parsley flakes or 1/4 C fresh chopped parsley
1 Tb flour, optional
1-1/2 C water or broth
1 C Guiness

1.  Spray or line a large slow cooker.  The fatty meat is going to be hard to clean off.  Arrange meat in the bottom of the crock.  Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper.  If using flour to thicken the sauce, sprinkle on top so it mixes with the fat off the meat.

2.  Add onion slices, carrot chunks, Worcestershire, and tomato paste.  At this point, you are at the make-ahead stage and can refrigerate everything overnight.

3.  When ready to cook, chop up potatoes and add to the crock, along with the water and beer.  All the alcohol will cook off.  I did this part at 3am in less than 5 minutes.  It's very easy.

4.  Cover and cook on the low setting for about 8 hours, stirring halfway through if able, to make sure the potatoes are cooking.  The onions are going to disappear into the meat and lower the level of the stew, but the potatoes may still not be in the sauce.  I did this when I got home from work, dumped in the green beans, and let it finish while I took a shower.

5.  Serve in a bowl with plenty of juices and bread or noodles on the side.

Difficulty rating  π

Lamb Gozleme

This is the meaty filling recipe for gozleme.  I used lamb because I like it and it's more traditional, but a lean (93%) beef or ground turkey can be used for the recipe.

Because I was using a pound of ground meat, I made the full recipe this time.  These things are huge.  Fortunately, my sides were simmered carrots and pickled red onions, which are super light and have very few calories.  Well, I'm the person who keeps complaining that she needs to put on weight.  Realistically, I think making this into six gozlemes would be a more appropriate serving size.

I was trying to make this quickly.  It was after day 9 of ten work days in a row.  That's just how my days off fell over two schedules.  Somehow, I never broke down and picked up drive-thru on the way home.  I thought I could shortcut the dough resting time to more like ten minutes.  Turns out you can't.  The first time I tried to roll them out, the dough was still tight and made squares about 7x7.  I let those rest while I made the pickled onions and was able to roll them to the proper size.  Gluten is a real thing.

I'm using kale instead of spinach today.  My boss keeps using her PTO, and someone's got to eat it.  If you're using a tougher green, you'll have to add it to the skillet before the meat.  For spinach, it goes in last.  I omitted the original recipe's red bell pepper.  It adds a nice color contrast, but wasn't the flavor I was going for.  Plus, it would probably upset my stomach.

Dough

2-1/2 C flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C olive oil, plus more for the pan
3/4 C water

1.  Stir salt into flour in a bowl.  You can make this in the stand mixer, but I didn't find it much harder to do by hand.  Stir in olive oil and water into a rough dough.

2.  Knead dough until smooth, without adding more flour.  I didn't time it, but it was probably 5-8 minutes.  Allow to rest 20-30 minutes while you make the filling.

3.  When ready to go, divide dough into 4-8 portions by weight, depending how big you want the finished product.  Roll each into a rectangle, about 8"x14" if you're doing 4, so half that size for 8.

Filling

1 Tb olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
*1 lb ground lamb
4 C fresh spinach or other leafy green
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese

1.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high.  Add onion, garlic, and spices and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add ground lamb to the skillet, breaking it up, and cook until browned in crumbles.  If using a tougher green, cook with the lamb.  If using spinach, add to the mixture in the last minute.  Once the meat is done, remove from heat until easily handled.

3.  Preheat a griddle over medium-high heat, lightly coated with oil.  Spoon a portion of meat mixture onto half of a dough rectangle.  Sprinkle generously with feta.  Fold other half of dough over and pinch shut all around the edges.

4.  Carefully transfer gozleme to the oiled skillet and cook until the dough is done and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.  That will give you time to prepare the next.  Repeat until all are cooked, adding more oil to the griddle as necessary.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 4-8, depending on how hungry everyone is

Difficulty rating  :-0

Arayes

This was actually the recipe that sent me down the rabbit hole leading to gozleme.  Somewhat related, these use store-bought pitas and you don't pre-cook the meat, so they're faster to make.  I'm basing my recipe on the one on RecipeTin Eats.  I think she got 5 pitas' worth because 500g of meat is more than a pound.  Not a lot more, but enough that I could fill four pitas and the meat layer was still thin enough to cook properly.

When I was making the meat mixture, it looked like way too many spices.  A tablespoon of cumin and coriander?  Since I don't keep ground coriander, I used the mortar on coriander and cumin seeds.  I could have run them through the spice grinder, but I kind of wanted the seedy crunch.  It turned out to be flavorful, but not overwhelming.  I could still taste the lamb as the primary flavor.

You don't have to use lamb.  85/15 or 90/10 beef will work well in this.  I was wanting lamb.  I would caution against ground poultry or pork, just in case the meat comes out slightly rare.

The yogurt tahini sauce for this is very nice, but I kind of didn't feel like it needed it.  Maybe if you put the cayenne in and needed something to cut it.  I'm not even listing cayenne in my ingredients.  I really liked this as a mild dish and would hate to overpower the meat with too much heat.

4 pitas
1 lb ground lamb or 85/15 ground beef
*1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb parsley flakes
1 Tb ground coriander
1 Tb ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp kosher salt
olive oil for brushing

For the sauce:

1 C plain Greek yogurt
2 Tb tahini
1 Tb lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1.  In a bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic, and spices.  Divide into 8 portions.

2.  Start heating a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Cut pitas in half and gently open them.

3.  Flatten each meat portion and gently place inside a half pita.  Spread out the meat evenly to fill the whole inside with a thin layer.

4.  When the pitas are filled, brush both sides lightly with olive oil.  Place as many as will fit comfortably on the skillet and prep a baking sheet to keep them warm in a 175º oven.  Cook about 2-3 minutes, until the pita is well browned.  Flip and cook the other side another few minutes.  Remove arayes to the oven sheet and start on the next batch.

5.  While the batches are cooking, make the sauce.  Whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.

6.  Serve arayes hot, with a generous dollop of yogurt sauce.

Makes 8, four generous servings

Difficulty rating  :)

Lamb with Onion Gravy

I bought some super-cheap lamb neck slices, which are basically bone-in stew meat.  The intent was always to slow-cook them.  Then I looked at my schedule on the day I planned to cook, and realized I didn't have three hours in the afternoon to simmer them on the stove.  That turned this into a Crockpot day, but the recipe will work just as well on a back burner.

Originally, I was going to do this as a stew with barley and maybe carrots.  Then I forgot to buy the carrots.  When I got home to the lovely aroma, I decided to turn the stewing juices into gravy, and that's how we have arrived here.

The biggest effort here is chopping the onion.  You ignore it for hours, then boil the broth with cornstarch for two minutes.  So while it technically takes 3-8 hours to make, 95% of that is not active time.  And your kitchen will smell wonderful.

*1 lb lamb stew meat, shank, or neck (or 1-1/2 lb if bone-in)
*1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp cumin
*1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
*1-1/2 C unsalted vegetable or chicken stock
1 Tb cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tb water

1.  Place lamb in slow cooker or large saucepan.  Top with onion and spices.  Pour over stock.  If the liquid doesn't come up at least 2/3 of the way, add a little more.

2.  For slow cooker, set on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4.  For stovetop, bring to a low boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  In both cases, meat is done when it is fall-apart tender.

3.  Remove meat from cooking vessel.  For slow cooker, transfer all juices and onion to a saucepan.  For stovetop, gravy can be made in the pot.  Stir in cornstarch slurry and bring juices to a low boil for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.

4.  Serve lamb in chunks or shredded, with brown gravy on top or as a dipping sauce.

Difficulty rating  π

Minted Leg of Lamb

So, way back I bought a bone-in leg of lamb because it was only $5 per pound.  That never happens.  I did a terrible hack job to get four roughly one-pound sections, plus the bone on the last pound.  Because I wanted the bone for some roasted-bone broth, I decided to do something with that piece.

I need to remember never to buy a bone-in leg of lamb again.  Unlike fatty cuts of meat or chicken, the meat really doesn't want to come off the bone.  It's worth it to pay the extra for boneless, or even semi-boneless.  There is a reason I'm a baker and not a butcher.  It's a very good thing I wasn't serving this to guests, because I made a total mess of it when carving.

Anyway, back to the flavor profile.  There isn't a ton of mint in the seasoning rub.  A little dried mint goes a long way, and you don't want this to taste like ice cream.  It's just a brightness designed to take away any gamey undertones.  You could probably use this spice mix on duck or venison, to the same effect.

I'm going to scale the rub to a full leg of lamb, 4-5 pounds.  Or, you could make the smaller amount and use this on lamb chops.  Or just make up the rub and store it to use as needed.  It's just a spice blend.

1 leg of lamb
1 Tb kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
*2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
*1/2 tsp ground sumac
*2 tsp dried parsley
*1 tsp dried mint
olive oil

1.  Line a roasting pan with foil for easing cleaning and preheat oven to 325º.  Set lamb, fatty side up, in roasting pan.  Rub all over with olive oil.

2.  In a bowl or mortar, combine seasonings.  Rub mix all over lamb, including the underside.  Cover pan with foil.

3.  Roast until internal temperature reaches 140º for rare/medium rare, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  Go to 145º if you prefer medium.  Allow to sit 15 minutes before carving. 

Serves 10-12

Difficulty rating  π

Roasted Lamb Shawarma

There was a fantastic deal on leg of lamb, so I carved it up into four pieces to experiment.  The first one, a slow-cooker recipe, didn't go so well.  Fatty cuts of lamb work that way, but not the leaner leg.  Second attempt is this heavily marinated shawarma.

Most recipes I found had similar ingredient lists.  I had almost every spice on hand, except I had run out of turmeric.  First time buying fenugreek, though.  I had to look up what it was, and apparently it's very good for you.  There are herbal supplements of it, especially for women.  Fine, I'll start adding it to more recipes, and probably my chai mix.  It has a faintly maple aroma.  I have also started planning to add it to this winter's herb garden.  Supposedly, you can do that in zones 10 and above.

Once I started assembling the spices on the counter, I realized that this marinade puts most curry recipes to shame.  Then I put several "sweet" spices back and subbed in allspice.  I wouldn't stress out about finding everything on the list, or subbing ground versions where I used the seed.  Both star anise and fennel was probably overkill.

I'm combining several techniques.  Pan-toasting the whole spices first is from one recipe, whizzing them up into a marinade is from another.  It's a similar approach to a satay marinade, which can be subtly flavorful without overpowering.

*1 to 1-1/2 lb cut from a leg of lamb. (for a full leg, double marinade)
1/4 tsp each *coriander seed, fenugreek seed, *fennel seed, *cumin seed
Seeds from 2 *cardamom pods
*1/2 star anise
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, *ground pepper, *allspice, *paprika
1/4 tsp each *sumac and turmeric
2 tsp kosher salt
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
*1 clove garlic, chopped
*2 Tb diced red onion or shallot
1 Tb lemon juice
3 Tb olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut in 1/2" thick slices

1.  In a small skillet, toast all of the seeds: coriander, fenugreek, fennel, cumin, cardamom, and star anise. Use a dry pan over medium-low heat and shake frequently.  It should take 2-3 minutes.

2.  Place all the marinade ingredients in the food processor or blender.  That's the spices you've just toasted, any remaining spices, salt, ginger, garlic, shallot, lemon juice, and oil.  Pulse at first so it doesn't explode, then run until fairly smooth.

3.  Line the bottom of a roasting pan with the thickly sliced onion.  If you need more, slice up the rest of it.  This is going to be the "rack" holding up the meat.

4.  In a bowl, coat the meat with the marinade.  If it's a boneless, coat inside where the bone was removed. This is why I was doing the recipe with lamb pieces, so there would be more surface for the marinade.  Set meat, fat side up, on top of the onion and pour any remaining marinade from the bowl on top.  Cover with foil or a lid and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

5.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350º.  Carefully pour boiling water into the edge of the roasting pan, just until it reaches the bottom of the meat.  Place covered roast in oven and cook until tender, at least 90 minutes for less than 2 lbs and up to 3 hours for a full leg.  Every hour or so, baste with juice from the bottom of the pan.  This may be the first time I've used my beat baster.  A gravy ladle works, too.  When meat is easily pulled apart with a fork, it is ready.

6.  Slice shawarma and serve with pita, rice, and/or veggies.

Difficulty rating  :)

Lamb Curry

I bought a pound of ground lamb one day when it was on discount cheaper than the ground beef next to it.  That's what the chest freezer is for.  When looking for something new to do with it, I considered curry and started an online search for recipes.

There are plenty of recipes out there using lamb stew meat, but I had to search a little harder for one with ground.  It turns out to be very easy and not time consuming at all.  With stew meat, you have to brown and braise.  Ground, it's brown and simmer until any vegetables are cooked.  Food and Wine had the idea of using sweet potato and peas as the vegetables, which I decided was the way I wanted to go.  My pea vines started blooming in January, but it's still a bit early for the amounts I needed here and I bought some.  If you want to save prep time, get peas and carrots and skip the sweet potato.

I'm seriously getting addicted to using up the pantry.  It's to the point that I start pulling out items for the next meal as soon as I have one prepared.  This made enough progress on the canned goods that I was able to bring down all the cans from the top shelf.  I cooked up whatever rice didn't fit in the quart jar of jasmine.  The next time I make a curry might finish off the box of spice.  Yes, rotating through older spices counts as pantry.  It's important to know what you're using and at what rate, so you can rotate through everything.  Otherwise, it's just money sitting on the shelf.

*1 lb ground lamb
*1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
*1/2 tsp paprika
*1/4 tsp turmeric
1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp minced or grated garlic
*1 stick cinnamon
salt to taste
*1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
*1 15 oz can lite coconut milk
1 C frozen peas
1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb), peeled and diced 1/2"
*2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
*1 Tb chopped fresh mint
*Jasmine or basmati rice, for serving

1.  In a large, deep skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium.  Add cumin, paprika, turmeric, curry, and salt and heat into a fragrant paste, about 3 minutes.

2.  Add diced onion and cook until softened and fairly dry, about 8 minutes.  This can be when you're dicing the sweet potato.  Side note, when I was cutting mine, it let out some kind of milky sap, like it was bleeding white.  I'm assuming that's normal and continued with the meal.  Increase heat to medium-high and add ground lamb.  Cook until mostly browned and crumbled, stirring frequently.  If necessary, drain off any excessive fat.

3.  Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.  Add diced sweet potato and peas.  Follow that up with the canned tomatoes in their juice and the coconut milk.  Stir everything together, top with the stick of cinnamon, then cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked and easily pierced by a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

4.  Remove lid and stir in chopped cilantro and mint.  Cook an additional 5 minutes, for the herbs to work their way into the curry.  Fish out the cinnamon stick, then ladle over rice and serve hot.

Makes 5-6 servings

Difficulty rating  :)

Lamb Wellington

I invited some people over for a Chanukah dinner, even though the holiday started three days after Thanksgiving.  Poultry was out, so I started considering other red meats.

Meat really is getting expensive, even for everyday cuts.  When ground 80/20 is $5 per pound, it's easy to see why I'm choosing to eat vegetarian more often.  However, semi-boneless leg of lamb was $9 per pound, considerably cheaper than a cut of beef of the same quality and two dollars cheaper than the available lamb for stew.  I only needed a one-pound slab for this recipe, so I ended up cutting it in three pieces: two roasts and the bone with a lot of meat on it.  That third part will be great for a tagine or honey lamb.

This recipe is very similar to the original Beef Wellington post.  A few different spices went into it, and I cheated on the sauce.  I was terrified that the lamb would be too well done, but it came out great.  The ends were medium to medium-rare, and the center two or three slices were just past rare.  One of the guests prefers his meat medium, so he got first crack at those and everyone was happy.

1 to 1-1/2 lb boneless leg of lamb
1 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp each paprika and cumin
1 Tb butter
1 C minced white or crimini mushrooms
1 medium shallot, minced (divided)
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
flour for the board
1 egg
1 packet "au jus" seasoning mix
*1 Tb Marsala, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 425º.  Rub roast all over with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin.  Place on a baking sheet or in a small roasting pan and cook until internal temperature reaches 130º, about 30 minutes.  I checked after 20, then ten minutes after, then every five until I decided that 122º was close enough.  It's scary how much it's going to shrink and get dark because of the high heat, so trust your thermometer.  Set roast aside to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate if longer than 2 hours.

2.  While the roast is cooling, melt butter in a saucepan.  Add mushrooms and about 2/3 of the shallots and cook over medium heat until the mushrooms have given up their water and everything is softened.  Add balsamic vinegar and allow that liquid to boil off.  Set aside while you prep the pastry.

3.  Open puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out into a rectangle that will leave about 4" on each side of the roast when it is placed in the middle.  If desired, cut off some bits of pastry to use as decorations.  Start heating the oven back up to 425º.

4. Beat egg with a tablespoon of water into an egg wash.  Brush surface of pastry lightly with the egg.  Place cooked mushroom mixture (duxelles) in the middle.  Place roast upside-down on top of the mushrooms.

5.  Bring up sides of pastry to cover the roast.  Turn over and place on lined baking sheet, making sure all sides of the roast are covered.  I quartered the remaining mushrooms in the package and roasted them along with the pastry.  Cut a few small holes in the pastry for venting.  Brush exterior of pastry with more egg wash.  If you reserved some trimmings, make designs with them and brush again.

6.  Bake for about 25 minutes, until pastry is crisp and golden and the center of the roast temps at 140º-150º, depending on how well done you like it.  Set aside to rest for 15 minutes while you make the gravy.

7.  Stir 1 Tb of flour into the powdered au jus mix.  Add as much water as the directions suggest, followed by the remaining shallots.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, then add the Marsala, if using, and boil another 3 minutes to evaporate some of the alcohol.

8.  Show off the roast first, then slice into portions.  Serve with gravy on the side.

Difficulty rating  :-0