Family friends around for dinner Saturday night- can i do a roast?

[hmmmwhattoeat]

I will start with the fact i love a good roast, and i know logically you can have one any time,BUT it seems odd to eat one on a Saturday night for some reason.

Apart from the fact i like a roast, another benefit it brings is that i can prepare most of it in advance so it still enables me to drop kids to and from their clubs and I know they will also eat it!! Win win

Would you think its a strange choice if you went around for an evening dinner and were served a roast dinner???

Unreasonable- you can not serve a roast for saturday night dinner
Reasonable- stop being silly thats perfectly fine

Oops, I pressed unreasonable by mistake! You absolutely can do a roast and if I was your guest I’d be delighted!

It’s possible to do a roast with a twist eg I’ve done leg of lamb Greek style with roasted potatoes with oregano then a big Greek salad with it. I’ve also cooked leg of lamb basted in Indian spices served with a selection of vegetarian curries plus raita

The two things better than a Sunday roast, is a roast, not on a Sunday. And a roast that you haven’t had to cook yourself. I’d be delighted. Don’t forget the Yorkies!

I love roasts but somehow it's not the right vibe for a Saturday night - along the lines of you wouldn't serve guests pizza or fish & chips for Sunday lunch!

As a pp has said, I would do a slow-roasted middle eastern-style lamb shoulder/leg with roasted peppers, couscous etc. Like a traditional roast most can be prepped and cooking during the day.

Me too, I am still half asleep.

😂 I thought the same
I actually class cottage pie in the same group as roasts- meat, potato and veg.

But I don't understand why people think roasts have to be boring- there are so many ways you can cook vegetables, and so many different veg.

I find the 'ooh look I'm cooking middle Eastern style' much more boring and without thought.

Toad in the hole? I'd be very disappointed to be served this as a guest!

Most people I know would jump with joy at being served a roast dinner, anytime and anywhere! YANBU.

Yes, people still have 'dinner parties' but generally not what you call having friends around for dinner.

friends having dinner with us doesn't need to be showy & exciting. It needs to be (for me/us) tasty food & great company. But maybe we're more comfortable without friends & no need to impress with 'exciting' food.

Ooh I wouldn't (as long as it was veggie) at a friends house, I'd be surprised at a 'dinner party' but not disappointed!

Yes please to a roast but not lamb thanks. Especially if you offer Yorkshire puds whatever the meat. My favourite veg is roast cauliflower ...

Ah I’m very comfortable with my friends and feel no need to try and impress them, but thank you for the dig 😁.

I would have a roast everyday if I could so it would be a definite yes from me!!

I'd roast the meat but serve with a few interesting salads, probably middle Eastern inspired e.g. roast cauliflower with a tahini sauce and pomegranate, carrots with cumin, a good green leaf salad and some small potatoes roasted in their skins alongside some garlic cloves. All can be made ahead (just pop the potatoes back in the oven when the meat is resting)

I think fine, albeit I don't usually have one on a Sunday.

It's also a practical choice for guests as long as you don't mind the prep, since you're serving several different things. Someone who doesn't like potatoes might have extra broccoli instead

I did flattened turkey breast stuffed with sausage meat stuffing and wrapped in pancetta and served sliced (you wrap about 4 breasts at a time into a roll) served with roast spuds etc and brussel sprout gratin and everyone loved it. You can prep in advance and just bung in the oven.

I’d be disappointed but maybe that’s because I wouldn’t even choose a roast dinner on a Sunday.
Saturday nights with friends tends to be curries, Mexican, Thai or even just pizza and salad if I’m feeling lazy. My husband would be happy with a roast but that’s because we never make them at home.

But you can absolutely mimic the cooking process - do a leg or shoulder of lamb with Middle Eastern sort of spices, serve with flatbreads, hummus, olives, salad.
I ca me on to say DP and I do something similar on Christmas Eve: we roast a really good free-range chicken (have done a large whole fish before too). It definitely feels 'special' enough for a Saturday dinner. We usually have quinoa with flaked almonds, herbs and pomegranate seeds, which looks beautiful. And salad/veg, yoghurt, harissa, olives etc.

Nooooo! The one thing better than a Sunday roast is NO Sunday roast. The day I left home at 18 was the day I swore I would never eat another Sunday roast again - even though my mum was an excellent cook roast meat, potatoes, and gravy turn my stomach. Fifty years later I eat roast turkey at Xmas and Easter and roast chicken maybe twice a year, but I’ve never willingly eaten a traditional roast apart from that. I’ve never been tempted by my husband’s roast beef, lamb, or pork, and I don’t think I could eat a roast potato if my life depended on. It.

I think it’s too heavy for an evening meal tbh, I need a few hours of either vegging out on a sofa or going for a country walk to feel like I’ve digested a roast?

Nonsense, not everyone can have a roast on a Sunday. Mine are usually a Saturday as it suits our life’s better!

I think the answers you are getting depend on whether people love a roast or not. I am in the former category. In fact I often cook a roast on Saturday night and then have another one on Sunday or Monday with the left over meat. My mouth is watering now. Laughing at how the middle eastern cuisine is somehow superior. I love all cuisines but you can't beat a roast and it's definitely not just for Sundays.

I love the advice to avoid a roast by doing a roast with different carbs and veggies as somehow not a roast and so magically lighter

I'd do a piece of roast meat but different sides. So maybe spiced roast lamb with potatoes wedges and a Greek salad and tzatziki. . Or slow cooked pork with dauphinois potatoes and tender stem broccoli. Something like that.

I love a roast any day of of the week, even better if I hadn’t had to cook it myself, go for it