Zalau Style Roast

How to prepare zalau style roast

1. Place the meat slice on the work surface. Score parallel lines on top at a distance of about 1 cm. Use a sharp knife and make the scores about 1 cm deep. Turn the meat 90 degrees and score again in parallel, in the same way. You will get a pattern like a chessboard.
2. Sprinkle the meat with salt, ground black pepper, paprika (about 3 pinches per side) and caraway (about 3 pinches per side). I also sprinkled a pinch of ground coriander although it is not traditional, but it goes very well. Pour the oil and massage the meat so that the seasonings get into the scores and reach the edges.
3. Tie a string around the slice, like a belt, but not too tight. This serves to maintain the shape of the roast, to not let it spread during baking.
4. Put the meat in the refrigerator overnight (minimum 8 hours).
5. When you want to prepare it, take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before and let it come to room temperature.
7. Heat a non-stick pan that you grease with a little oil. Fry the meat about 2 minutes per side, just until nicely browned.
8. Then put the pan in the oven at 150C for 30 minutes. Baste the meat with the released juices at the halfway point.
   * if your pan is not oven-safe, put in the oven while it heats a heat-resistant dish that can fit the meat; when the meat is browned, transfer it to this hot dish
9. Remove the pan and cover the meat with aluminum foil. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Cut and remove the string.
   
10. I served the Zalau roast with small kapia peppers (about 10-15 cm long) roasted, peeled and filled with buttery mashed potatoes, placed around the roast. At serving time, slice the meat following the score lines.
    * such a slice of meat is enough for 2 people; the recipe can be scaled to any number of pieces; count about 2-3 small peppers per person, and for the mashed potatoes 2 medium potatoes per person; the peppers are easily filled with mashed potatoes if you use a pastry bag

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