Pat’s Popovers

• Recipe by John Besh

Pat Berrigan, chef John Besh’s father-in-law, spent years perfecting this popover recipe. The secret is the beef fat (left over from the roast), which gets mixed into the batter and is also used to grease the muffin tin; vegetable oil works well too. Be sure to cook the popovers until they’re well-browned and crusty, or else they may collapse.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups milk
2. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3. 4 large eggs
4. 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
5. 3 tablespoons rendered beef fat (from the roast) or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Put a large 12-cup muffin pan in the oven to heat. In a medium bowl, combine the milk with the flour, eggs, salt and 1 tablespoon of the beef fat. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until very smooth.
2. Remove the hot muffin pan from the oven and add 1/2 teaspoon of the beef fat to each cup. Return the muffin pan to the oven and heat until the fat is very hot, about 5 minutes. Carefully and quickly pour the popover batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes; don’t open the oven door. Reduce the heat to 350° and bake for about 20 minutes, until the popovers are golden brown and puffed. Serve right away.