Dinner strategy: Cook one roast, enjoy four dinners

Take a bone-in pork shoulder, roast it to tender deliciousness, then break it down into four meals, each designed to feed a family of four. A 6-pound roast will yield about 4 ½ pounds of cooked meat (minus the bone). For the first night, serve the pork with your favorite side dishes. Then let your imagination and pantry staples lead the way.

You can go many, of course — a pasta dish, a Cuban sandwich, pulled pork. We picked a stir-fry, tacos and, finally, a soup, which utilized the reserved bone for a broth and required less of the pork than the other meals.

A bonus is that after the first meal, the cooking and assembly of the other dishes is quick — another economy we love.

For the recipes, read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Food section.

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