After that aromatic butterbread I made the other day, I ended up being busy in the kitchen again. Totally unplanned. đ My fiancĂ©âs dad went grocery shopping annnd just as spontaneously, grabbed some beef, both bone-in ribeye and part of a shoulder clod. I decided to take the already-cut pieces of ribeye, give them a quick rinse, pat them dry, season both sides with a bit of salt, gently pierce them with a knife and place them onto a sizzling hot pan with a teaspoon of pork lard.
At the same time, I grabbed a few potatoes and one carrot as you can see there in a photo. I peeled them, washed them, chopped them into smaller pieces so they'd cook faster and set them on the stove to gently simmer. I was planning to make a classic mashed potato buuut then...again, completely unplanned and impulsively, I decided to add a carrot as well. It gives the mash a lovely warm orange shade, plus it's healthy, plus it's tasty. So it is a win-win combination. đ„°
Once the meat developed a nice golden crust on both sides, I sprinkled in a mix of spices measured âby feelâ: a touch of turmeric, some pepper, garlic, and finely chopped fresh parsley. Then I gradually added water and let everything simmer until the meat turned wonderfully tender and started to cling to my fingertips. So delicious!
Once the vegetables were cooked, I drained all the water and moved the veggies into the bowl where I planned to mix everything. I whip my mash with a mixer; first just the vegetables on their own, without adding anything, until they turn into a smooth, velvety mixture, almost like the perfect cake filling.
Then I season it with salt to taste, pour in a bit of hot milk until I get the texture I like and I always add a splash of oil that I preheat beforehand. When you pour it into the mash, it should make that little sizzling sound... that's how you know you did it right.
This time, though, I skipped the oil. Why? Well⊠honestly, I have no idea, hahahaha.
Oh, right, I almost forgot! Maybe the most important part of any lunch: "the salad". The type of lettuce that seems to be the most common in Serbia is what we call "puterica" -> a soft, buttery green lettuce. And it truly lives up to its name most of the time: juicy, tender, almost silky.
I prepared it the usual way: washed the leaves, chopped them up, added some vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. And that's pretty much it; lunch was ready. I think the whole meal prep took under an hour, which honestly surprised me, considering I assumed that beef would take at least three times longer to cook. :)
So, what do you think of it all together? It's really the most classic kind of lunch: meat and potatoes. Then, depending on what you're in the mood for that day, you just choose the cut of meat and the form of the potatoes and voilà ⊠three hundred variations on the same theme. Voila and enjoy! đ