D.C. Sustainable Food: Breaking Down the Dish with The Majestic's Shannon Overmiller

March 13, 10:32 AMDenver Sustainable Restaurants ExaminerWill Sullivan

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Photo courtesy of Zaid Hamad

Breaking Down the Dish is a feature of the D.C Sustainable Food column in which we highlight a single dish from a local restaurant, and investigate the inspiration and local/regional producers behind it.

This week’s Breaking Down the Dish:

The Majestic – Nana’s Sunday Dinner:
‘The Saint and The Spud’ - An Irish Dinner

Main: Roasted Leg of Lamb with Lamb Jus and Rosemary

Sides: Pommes Boulangere and Navarin of Carrots, Peas, Onions and Turnips

Salad: Mixed Greens with Champagne-Honey Vinaigrette

Dessert: Irish Rice Pudding

Old Town Alexandria's The Majestic is celebrating March with a month long homage to Saint Patrick through a traditional Irish family feast aptly themed 'The Saint and the Spud.' 

The enormously popular Nana's Sunday Dinner family dinner changes themes each month and has been running monthly for nearly two years. It is available Sundays from 1-9 p.m and serves a family of four -- with the option to add guests for a small up charge.

For those of you unfamiliar with the new Majestic, the restaurant, which co-owners Chef Cathal Armstrong and wife Meshelle of Restaurant Eve and partners revived a few years back, features cuisine composed of "simple, American classics," all about "memory and comfort."

Chef Armstrong, who has become a food celebrity in recent years, says of the cuisine on the restaurant's Web site: "this is the food we love to eat everyday. Items based on flavors found locally..."

The Majestic's Chef Shannon (Red) Overmiller, who grew up in Maryland and has spent her Culinary career in the D.C. area, says the Sunday Dinners at the Majestic are all about families.

"We really wanted to bring families in, to sit down and eat together like you would at your grandmas house. We took a lot of cooking from our grandparents and so that was important to us." Go here to read about the Crew Behind the Majestic.

Chef Overmiller works closely with Chef Armstrong to source the best, freshest ingredients from quality local and regional producers.

"We do our best to get what we can when it’s in season," Chef Overmiller said. "It’s not 100 percent easy to do, or 100 percent possible all the time. But you do the best you can. The food just tastes better, it’s healthier, and you're supporting your farmers, your economy and your local ecology."

The local and sustainable food movement is strong in D.C., noted Chef Overmiller, adding that she hoped more restaurants would make understanding and serving local and seasonal cuisine the norm.

"People know when food is good," Chef Overmiller said. "And the way they know food is good is when it’s cooked the right way at the right time."

"I want my food to make sense, and that’s how food makes sense to me."

Chef Shannon Overmiller. Photo courtesy of Meshelle Armstrong

Roasted Leg of Lamb (Elysian Fields, Waynesburg, PA)

"Elysian Fields grows their own feed" Chef Overmiller said. "They're humane and holistic."

"They use wheat, whey and grass feed. You can really taste the grass in the leg and it has a really has a nice fresh lamb flavor. It really tastes of the earth."

The Majestic receives the entire leg and debones it in house to make the stock with the bones. They remove the shank and sell it as a special during the week.

Chefs then truss and roast the leg with salt, pepper and an herb rub that includes mint. They leave the fat on, sear the leg and then roast the lamb until medium rare.

Elysian Fields Farm
844 Craynes Run Road
Waynesburg, PA
724-852-1076
Fax: 724-852-1076

Pommes Boulangere (Tuscarora and Davencrest Farms in Maryland*)

Chefs prepare a classic preparation of pommes boulanger, which is basically a scalloped potato gratin without cheese. They include caramelized onions, reduced lamb stock, garlic, fresh herbs and rosemary. They then make a large gratin, breaking it down and serving it in individual gratins for guests.

Spring navarin (Tuscarora and Davencrest in Maryland*)

Chefs prepare a navarin of peas, carrots, pearl onions and mint and fresh thyme.

Mixed green salad (Davencrest in Maryland and Tuscarora*)

"We're getting nice mix of field greens and red veined sorrel that we add to the mixed green salad," Chef Overmiller said.

Irish Rice Pudding

Chefs cook long grain rice in a milk and salt mixture and then add a little sugar. Next, they temper it into condensed milk, egg, and sugar mixture. They mix in brown raisins and bake it to a semi firm custard, finishing off with a bit of cinnamon.'

"It's an enormously popular dessert," Chef Overmiller said.

*Chef Overmiller notes that while The Majestic does its best to source local produce, it is not always possible to compose the dish entirely of such ingredients.

Nana's Sunday Dinner runs $78 and feeds four, and there is an option, with a slight up charge, for including greater numbers.

For D.C. area viewers, Chef Shannon and her crew will be on Fox Five this coming Tuesday, March 17, to feature the Saint and the Spud.

For more information, and a complete list of The Majestic’s menus, go here.

The Majestic

911 King Street
Alexandria, VA
22314

Telephone (703) 837-9117