Tallow Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

Tallow is rendered fat from beef or lamb bones and/or large pieces of fat.   I make my own beef and lamb tallow or pork lard to use in a variety of recipes.  Some times I buy extra bones and freeze them just for this recipe. My favorite bones are those with bone marrow.   I have also used regular beef bones from my butcher.  While roasting with the larger bones, the fat "melts" away and roast the potato wedges.  You just don't get the added benefit of digging the marrow from the centers of those bones.

My daughter and I quickly run to the kitchen to scoop out any marrow that is left in the bones, most of it has melted onto the cookie sheet and is frying the potatoes as they roast in the oven.  I add a pinch of salt to the tiny little scoops of deliciousness and savor every bite.  Why eat marrow?  The benefits are huge especially if you have auto-immune issues as I do.   Click on the question and it will take you to a blog that explains the benefits better than I can in this short post.

I started roasted potatoes this way a few years ago and they are a family favorite.  I roast the bones to make beef stock.  By adding the potatoes it seemed that I was saving time, cooking two items at once and using my oven more efficiently.

Depending on the type of fat you use, the flavor from that animal, will impart a reflection of the beef or lamb flavor profile.  The lard does not have much flavor and will not be as pronounced.

There are a variety of pictures here:

The first picture is of potato wedges with lamb tallow.  I often buy boneless leg of lamb roast.  On this day I cut the roast up to make lamb kabobs.  I had a nice piece of lamb fat attached to the roast so I trimmed it and slowly on medium heat, melted it down.  I was left with a small amount of tallow.

I heat the oven, added the lamb tallow, arranged my potatoes in a 400 degree oven and roasted them until the bottoms were crispy.  Each oven is different.  My oven took about 40 minutes.

These two pictures below are showing you that I have used a huge bone on the left and the smaller marrow bones on the right.  I use white potatoes and sweet potatoes.  I have also include rutabagas and they turned out great.  The marrow and the melted fat make the best potatoes, in my opinion.  

This picture shows that the the large bone will roast and enough fat will melt away that the potatoes are still roasted.  I have also included a few onions on this tray.

We are not afraid of saturated fat.  I don't believe it is something to fear in our diets. In fact, we invite it into our diets.  My husband and I both recently had our blood work done and found that our cholesterol is perfect.   I believe our diet choices are reflected in our recent yearly examine and our doctors are impressed with our weigh loss and healthy habits.

What we did cut out was processed food, refined sugar and most, if not all, junk foods and sugary drinks.  Our focus has changed to healthy fats from grass fed animals, more vegetables and fruits, nuts, nut flours and lots of exercise.

I encourage everyone to do their own research, listen to your bodies and the advice of your doctors.  I can only share with you our experience and  how this change in our diet has improved OUR health.

Tallow Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

5-6 small marrow bones, cut 1 inch in thickness (ask your butcher to do this)
6-8 potatoes, wedged or diced
1 small onion, sliced (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley (season with a light hand)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Place bones and potatoes on a large cookie sheet.  Season potatoes with a variety of spices and dried herbs.  I have listed what I usually use but I do switch it up every once in a while.  There are no measurements because use what your family likes.

3.  Roast for about 40-50 minutes.  The potatoes will be very crispy on the bottom and soft and pillowy on the top.

4.  Remove from oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  Refrigerate left overs and reheat in the microwave.

Written by Sherron Watson

Homemade Beef Broth

I have been making my own beef and chicken broth for sometime now.

I love the idea of putting a soup together and knowing that I created and developed one of the main ingredients--the broth.

We have been buying our beef from an independent rancher in Pennsylvania for about 6 months now.  The reason I chose him is because his cows are grass fed, kept on a rotating grazing schedule, hormone free (unless they become sick) and are not given any type of supplements to increase growth or milk production.

I am not a farmer or a rancher so I don't know all the big words and terms to use in describing his process other than to say, he keeps a clean living space for the cows, they are minimally "handled" and the beef taste very good.

When we place our order I try to get as many bones that I can freeze.  These are not like the bones you get when you go to a grocer which are neatly cut, packaged and wrapped.  These are every joint, rib, socket and such.  My kids get a bit grossed out when the bones come in the front door.  They are pretty raw looking---extra meat and some blood.

It is great for homeschooling because we can try to "match up" the bones to where they belong on the cow.

I prepackage the bones in ziplock baggies and store them in my upstair freezer.  The night before I take them out to thaw.  This allows me to roast them in the morning and get the broth started early in the day.

I roast my bones at 400 degrees for about 1 hour. I usually toss some potatoes on the cookie sheet.  This makes the best, and I mean the best, potato wedges.  The potatoes are being cooked in bone marrow!  They are crispy on the bottom and tender and fluffy on the inside.

I really should take a picture one day and add them to this post.  It is hard to get in between my family and the potatoes when they are fresh out of the oven.

Once the bones are baked, I then place them in my large stock pot, add the water, vegetables and seasonings.

I try to simmer my stock for 12 hours.  Why?  Because this gives me what you see below.  A flavorful and well set stock.  This has been in the fridge overnight and it looks perfect.

Recipe:  Homemade Beef Stock
Makes 3-5 quart jars, depending on how long you let it simmer and reduce

4-5 pounds of beef bones, grass-fed if possible
12-14 (estimate) cups of water, fill pot until bones and veggies are covered
6 carrots, chopped in large chunks
2 large onions, quartered
4 gloves garlic, minced
6 stalks of celery, chopped in large chunks
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons of herbs.  I use an assortment of dried and fresh herbs--this is really up to you and what you have in your cupboards or refrigerator.  The broth might be flavored differently each time but this does not bother me.

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  On a cookie sheet, place your bones.  Cook for one hour.  (Your house will smell amazing.)

3.  In a large stock pot, add all of the other ingredients.  When bones are done cooking, add the bones and marrow that has melted on the cookie sheet to the stock pot.  Cover with water until bones are just beneath the water.

4.  Set stove top to medium high to heat water and get the water to a slow boil.  Turn the heat down to a medium low and let it cook all day. If your stock is not reducing then increase the heat a little bit more.

5.  Check back ever few hours and stir.

6.  When you are ready to bottle up the stock, turn the heat off and let it cool for about 15 minutes.

7.  I always strain my stock several times to get it as clear as you see above.  The first time I use a metal strainer for the big pieces of vegetables or bone.  The second time I strain it with a mesh bag that I have.  It is great for catching all of the tiny bits.

8.  When the bottles are portioned I let them cool to room temperature.  I cap them with a canning lid and ring but not too tightly until they are completely cooled.

9.  You will notice that as you portion the broth, the fat will rise to the top.  I keep this fat and use it for making gravies, biscuits and Yorkshire Puddings.  I use my turkey baster and suck it off the top.  I try to leave about a quarter inch on top so that when I do add this to my soups, the fat will add flavor and body to my next recipe.

10.  You can freeze the broth too.  Just use a freezer approved container, leave enough head space for expansion and make your containers. I try to use mine up within 3 months.

Written by Sherron Watson