It’s time to celebrate the organized week to have more time to “Deck the Halls.” Planning ahead helps take pressure off. Throughout the year and especially this week, I tend to cook more than one meal on Sunday. The versatility of a braised chuck roast is perfect since it can simmer, slowly, for 4 hours uninterrupted. Sear it & cover it, just to the top, with spring water. Pour on 2 cans or 2 jars of your favorite onion soup, add 1 whole peeled onion & season. Finish with fresh carrots and potatoes, if desired. Here is the best part. If you don’t eat the roast the day you prepare it, it can be magnificently transformed into wonderful meals that are fast and easy because the meat is cooked. Let the culinary transformation begin:

Fajitas al Carbon. In olive oil, sauté a thinly sliced onion & a green pepper. Once tender, add the sliced cooked roast. Add 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar & season. Toss & heat thoroughly. Serve with tortillas, guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Beef Pot Pie en Croute. Create your favorite stew mixture to include the beef broth from the roast (thickened), sliced carrots, small potatoes, peas & pearl onions. Heat until all the vegetables are tender. Pour the stew into individual ramekins and top with frozen puff pastry. Bake and serve hot.

Roast Beef Roulade. Prepare mashed potatoes very stiff. Smooth out the mashed potatoes onto a large rectangle of baking parchment paper. Add an thin layer of thinly sliced pieces of cooked roast mixed with fresh herbs. Beginning at one end, gently roll the roulade to form a loaf. Heat, slice & serve.

Beef & Potato Latkes. With the food processor, shred peeled fresh zucchini (2 cups), shred fresh peeled potatoes (1 cup), shred fresh peeled carrots (1 cup) and minced fresh onion (1/4 cup). Mix in 1 cup of cracker meal, 2 eggs and small bits of tender cooked roast. Pan fry the latkes until cooked.

Shepherd’s Pie. Cook and create fluffy mashed potatoes. Cut the cooked roasted into small bites. Heat & season the meat with 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, Provencal herbs, minced sautéed onion, salt & pepper. In a greased pan, layer the beef mixture with the potatoes on top. Top this with Gouda cheese and dry bread crumb sprinkles. Heat & serve.

Oriental Ginger Beef & Broccoli. Marinate the cooked sliced roast meat in 2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon of corn starch & 1 teaspoon of ground fresh ginger root. Stir fry broccoli tops. Add the marinated beef, with the marinate and continue to stir fry. Serve with rice.
Pâté of Roast. In a greased glassware loaf pan, layer fine pieces of cooked roast (seasoned with tarragon), asparagus set length-wise, pistachios and thin cooked carrots set length wise. Pour on aspic flavored with clear beef broth and dissolved gelatin. Chill and serve with a loaf fresh bread.

Roast Wellington. Sauté mushrooms until tender. Add fresh herbs & 6 oz. (1/2 bottle) of Stonewall Kitchen’s Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce. Set out a frozen puff pastry rectangle. Top with the sliced cooked roast meat. Top with the mushroom mixture. Cover with another puff pastry sheet or cut that sheet into lattice strips for appeal. Bake according to directions. Serve hot.

Puff Pastry Cups à la Bœuf. Heat the frozen puff pastry cups according to directions. Fill each cup with bits of roast and thickened seasoned sauce. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Classic Southern Stew. In a large pot add spring water, 1 – 12 oz. can of tomato sauce, fresh herbs, peeled carrots, peeled parsnips & peeled new potatoes. When the root vegetables are tender, add the sliced cooked roast. Season, add 3 tablespoons of fresh butter & 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add a sprinkling of macaroni noodles. Serve when the macaroni is cooked.

Beef Rolls Stuffed with Prosciutto & Gherkins. Cut the cooked roast into long thin slices. Top each slice with a thin slice of Prosciutto. Place Gherkin (pickles) on top of that & gentle roll the beef into a tight roulade. Serve with potato salad.

Beef Quiche. In a large bowl blend by hand, small pieces of cooked roast, 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 cup of pecans, 1 cup of finely chopped celery. Place the mixture into a browned pie shell. Top with, first, cheddar cheese and, second, finely crumbled potato chips. Bake until heated & serve hot.

All so easy. All so fast. All these meals leave extra time for wrapping packages, shopping on-line or dreaming around the fireplace. Enjoy!