roasts

There's no better time than the December holidays for a large, important meat roast — and in my humble opinion, there's no better roast than the beef tenderloin. I'm not the only one who believes this.

"Beef tenderloin is a special cut — it's prized because of its tenderness, yet it's incredibly lean. Because it's a solid muscle, it roasts and slices beautifully," Michaele Musel, culinary expert for Washington beef purveyor Double R Ranch, told me.

Since Michaele's prone to making holiday roasts more than once a year, I asked her to weigh in on everything tenderloin, from portion size to presentation. Here are a few things to bear in mind.

• First, make sure you've got the serving size right. "A general rule of thumb for the holidays is six ounces of cooked roast per person," Michaele said. That would mean a four- to five-pound roast to feed eight to ten people, or factoring in a slightly larger amount (six to eight pounds) if you're purchasing a rib roast for the same number of guests.
• Opt for a center cut beef tenderloin if you're new to the world of holiday roasts. "The center cut allows for even roasting and doneness," she explained — making it more than foolproof for a first-timer.

Keep reading for more thoughts on beef tenderloin.

For the longest time, I considered porchetta, the slow-roasted Italian pork dish, an order-at-a-restaurant-only entrée; it seemed too hard to make at home. For a recent holiday dinner party, however, I wanted to serve roast pork, so I threw caution to the wind and wound up making a delicious variation of the flavorful dish.

Porchetta takes a couple of hours to roast, but it's guaranteed to fill the house with a wonderful porky rosemary fragrance. To ensure that you get the correct cut, ask your butcher if he carries it a week before you plan on cooking the pork. With its succulent and well-seasoned meat, the resulting pork is a real crowd-pleaser. Read ahead for the highly-recommended porchetta recipe.

Holiday feasts with the family call for large, important roasts — that's something I learned long ago from the late cookbook author Sheila Lukins. Make it something succulent and impressively large, like a beef Wellington or a rack of lamb, which can be shared and passed around the table.

If you're not an expert at roasts, don't dish out valuable dollars on a piece of beef tenderloin that you'll risk overcooking. Instead, stick to a more basic (and affordable) cut like pork loin. This Latin-inflected citrus, cumin, and cilantro recipe serves up to eight and will leave guests reaching for seconds — but it won't set you back more than $25. For the recipe, read more.

Hoisin sauce is a Chinese dipping sauce that contains no fish and is thickened with sweet potatoes. It's used in a number of classic preparations like mu shu pork, and it's the main flavoring ingredient in this simple, yet savory roast recipe.

When mixed with honey and rice vinegar, the hoisin makes a sticky-sweet glaze for pork tenderloin. It's baked with thick-cut sweet potatoes and tender asparagus, resulting in a hearty and healthy meal with Chinese undertones.

Interested in learning the technique? Read more.

Although you can purchase teriyaki sauce from the store, it's quite simple to make and requires only a few everyday ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. This recipe whips together the popular takeout sauce and uses it to glaze roasted chicken.

The resulting dish is sticky, sweet, and finger-licking good. If scallions aren't your preferred vegetable, substitute in another seasonal veggie like broccoli rabe or asparagus. Serve on a bed of rice and you've got a meal that's satisfying to both kids and adults alike. The recipe when you read more

Sometimes making a delicious and filling dinner can be as simple as tossing a bunch of ingredients into a pan and placing it in the oven. Sure you have to wait for the food to roast, but while you do, the house will fill with tantalizing aromas foreshadowing the savory meal to come.

Don't believe me? Then give this recipe a try. It proves that a few basic components — potatoes, onions, carrots, and sausages — can come together to create a satisfying dish. There's no fuss, no heavy chopping, and no complications in this recipe, so check it out now and read more

Around December, so much focus gets put on edible gifts and Christmas cookies that it can be easy to forget about the star of the holiday meal. If you want to impress without going through too much trouble, don't discount duck breast: it has all the exotic cachet of a game bird, without any of the fuss.

Regardless of how little you know about duck, you can't go wrong with its à l'orange preparation; the acidity of a sweet-tart orange glaze cuts through the fowl's robust flavor. Go all out by reducing the orange juice and segmenting fresh oranges to serve alongside the roast; otherwise, a pre-made glaze like orange marmalade does the trick. Make either version when you keep reading.

While roast chicken is one of my go-to weeknight comfort meals, tonight I'm turning my attention to the other white meat. A pork tenderloin is a quick-cooking, affordable cut of meat that, like chicken, can be seasoned with virtually any ingredient.

In this recipe it's rubbed with dried sage and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. When roasted with a variety of vegetables, it makes for a simple and satisfying one-pan meal. Check out the recipe when you read more

Lots of nights, I crave roast chicken because it's simple and intensely comforting. However, I live alone, and unless I have someone over, cooking an entire chicken seems a bit wasteful. That's why I've taken to roasting rack of lamb instead. It's available in smaller quantities, and when I'm by myself, it feels like a special treat. In this recipe, the lamb is rubbed with a fresh-herb garlic paste before being roasted with tomatoes and potatoes in the oven. The resulting meal is delicious, rewarding, and, with a glass of red wine, wonderfully luxurious. To look at the recipe, read more