Free The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook by Rick Rodgers Page A

heat. Use tongs to rub the fat inside a large cast-iron skillet to coat it—this should only take about 15 seconds. Discard the fat. Add the steaks and cook until the undersides are well-browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the other sides are well-browned and the steak feels only slightly resilient when pressed on top in the center, about 4 minutes more for medium-rare steak. (If you like your steak more well-done, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the steak is done to your liking. When pressed, medium steak will feel moderately resilient, and well-done will feel firm.) Transfer each steak to a dinner plate.
3. Dip the bottom of the pan in a large bowl of cold water to cool the pan somewhat. (If you add the butter to the hot pan, it will burn.) Return to low heat. Add the butter and melt it, scraping up the browned bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour and divide the butter equally over the steaks and serve hot.
    NOTE : You will only be able to fit two steaks in the skillet. For hearty appetites, serve a steak to each person. Or, cut the steaks crosswise, across the grain, into ½-inch-thick slices, and stretch them to four servings.

YANKEE POT ROAST
    MAKES 6 SERVINGS
    This fork-tender pot roast has all of the old-fashioned flavors that make us hungry for simple American cooking. We did sneak a little wine in there–not very Yankee, but awfully good.
3 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 (3-pound) rump roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, 1 chopped, and 2 cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium celery rib, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups canned reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup hearty red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into halves lengthwise
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into sixths
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Season the rump roast with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add to the Dutch oven and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the rump roast to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon fat to the Dutch oven. Add the chopped carrot, onion, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Stir in the broth, wine, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Return the rump roast to the Dutch oven and cover.
4. Bake for 2 hours, turning the roast over after 1½ hours. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Add the cutcarrots, potatoes, and turnips to the pot, submerging them in the cooking liquid. Return to the oven and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.
5. Transfer the rump roast to a deep serving platter and let stand 10 minutes. (Keep the vegetables warm in the gravy, covered.) Slice the rump roast. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the platter. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Spoon some of the gravy over the roast and vegetables, and pour the remaining gravy into a sauceboat. Serve hot.
KITCHEN TIME MACHINE
To make a simple pot roast with onion gravy, use this time-tested favorite. Heat 1 tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown a 3-pound rump roast in the fat, about 10 minutes. Add 1 (1-ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix combined with 2½ cups water. Bake, turning occasionally, until tender, about 3 hours. For gravy, remove the cooked roast to a platter. Mash 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour together into a paste in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and whisk back into the Dutch oven. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. You won’t