This is a most economical and nutritious roast, having no waste in bones and trimmings, and if cut from good beef is as delicious as a porterhouse roast.
Sauer Braten.—Rub a solid piece of the round of beef with vinegar, dust lightly with salt and pepper and a bit of bay leaf rubbed to a powder. Let the meat stand over night or twelve hours. Cut several slashes in the meat, put in two small onions cut in quarters and two carrots cut in strips and the same amount of turnip. Dust a pinch of poultry seasoning or sweet herbs over. Lay three thin slices of salt pork in the well-greased paper bag, add a half cupful boiling water and if there is room in the bag tuck in a few more carrots or onions. Seal and place in a very hot oven for eight minutes, then reduce the heat at least half, and cook about two hours. Have a dripping pan with an inch of water in it, set under the oven rack so that if by any mischance the bag should burst, nothing would be lost. The steam from the water in the pan serves the same purpose as wetting the bag before filling, keeping it from becoming too brittle. Two bags will be found better than one in this case.
Beef Steak.—Wipe the meat, trim off extra fat and brush over with oil or butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper, put in well-greased bag, seal, place on grid in very hot oven and cook from fifteen to eighteen minutes, according to thickness of steak. At the last, pierce a few holes in the top of the bag, if there is any doubt about the steak being sufficiently browned. Take up on hot platter and spread with parsley butter, pouring any gravy remaining in the pan over the meat.
Toledo Beef Steak.—Place a top sirloin steak in a wood cookery dish, season with salt and pepper and place in bag. Seal and cook twenty minutes. Remove from the oven, open the bag and turn the steak. Spread over the top a little dry mustard and season with salt, pepper, two tablespoonfuls of drawn butter and a large tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Place on the top grate of the oven without the bag, and leave ten or fifteen minutes until crisp and brown.
Stuffed Roast Beef or "Mock Duck."—Take two flank steaks or one large round steak. If the former, sew together with coarse strong cotton, leaving one side open like a bag to be filled with the dressing. If the latter, place on the meat board and spread with a dressing made from mashed potato, well seasoned, sweet potatoes sliced and seasoned, or a forcemeat made from two cupfuls bread crumbs, a quarter cup butter or vegetable oil, in which a chopped onion has been cooked, with salt, pepper and cloves to season. The Germans like a half cupful of seeded raisins or chopped prunes added to this. Roll the meat about the filling and tie with strips of cotton cloth, or if you are using the flank steak, stuff the pocket and tie in shape. Butter the pocket or roll well on the outside, slip into a large well-buttered bag, add a tablespoonful of broth or hot water, seal, and cook in a hot oven ten minutes.
Reduce the heat and cook forty or fifty minutes more according to weight of the steak. A second bag over the first is advised here when the roll is heavy.
CHAPTER XI.
LAMB AND MUTTON.