(An excellent Receipt.)
Trim into handsome form a well-kept, but perfectly sweet leg of mutton, of middling weight; wash, but do not soak it; lay it into a vessel as nearly of its size as convenient, and pour in rather more than sufficient cold water[[80]] to cover it; set it over a good fire, and when it begins to boil take off the scum, and continue to do so until no more appears; throw in a tablespoonful of salt (after the first skimming), which will assist to bring it to the surface, and as soon as the liquor is clear, add two moderate-sized onions stuck with a dozen cloves, a large faggot of parsley, thyme, and winter savoury, and four or five large carrots, and half an hour afterwards as many turnips. Draw the pan to the side of the fire, and let the mutton be simmered gently from two hours to two and a half, from the time of its first beginning to boil. Serve it with caper, brown cucumber, or oyster sauce. If stewed softly, as we have directed, the mutton will be found excellent dressed thus; otherwise, it will but resemble the unpalatable and ragged-looking joints of fast-boiled meat, so constantly sent to table by common English cooks. Any undressed bones of veal, mutton, or beef, boiled with the joint will improve it much, and the liquor will then make excellent soup or bouillon. A small smoked ox-tongue boiled very tender will generally be much approved as an accompaniment to the mutton, though it is out of the usual course to serve them together: innovation on established usages is, however, sometimes to be recommended. The tongue should be garnished with well-prepared mashed turnips, moulded with a tablespoon into the form of a half-egg, and sent to table as hot as possible; or the turnips may be dished apart.
[80]. We have left this receipt unaltered, instead of applying to it Baron Liebeg’s directions for his improved method of boiling meat, because his objections to the immersion of the joint in cold water are partially obviated, by its being placed immediately over a sound fire, and heated quickly; and the mutton is very good thus dressed.
2 to 2-1/2 hours.
ROAST OR STEWED FILLET OF MUTTON.
Cut some inches from either end of a large and well-kept leg of mutton, and leave the fillet shaped like one of veal. Remove the bone, and fill the cavity with forcemeat (No. 1, Chapter [VIII.]), which may be flavoured with a little minced eschalot, when its flavour is liked: more forcemeat may be added by detaching the skin sufficiently on the flap side to admit it. When thus prepared, the fillet may be roasted, and served with currant-jelly and brown gravy, or with only melted butter poured over it; or it may be stewed gently for nearly or quite four hours, in a pint of gravy or broth, after having been floured and browned all over in a couple of ounces of butter: it must then be turned every hour that it may be equally done. Two or three small onions, a faggot of herbs, a couple of carrots sliced, four or five cloves, and twenty whole peppercorns can be added to it at will.
Roasted 2 hours, or stewed 4 hours.
Obs.—At a large fire, half an hour less of time will roast the mutton sufficiently for English taste in general.
TO ROAST A LOIN OF MUTTON.
The flesh of the loin of mutton is superior to that of the leg, when roasted; but to the frugal housekeeper this consideration is usually overbalanced by the great weight of fat attached to it; this, however, when economy is more considered than appearance, may be pared off and melted down for various kitchen uses. When thus reduced in size, the mutton will be soon roasted. If it is to be dressed in the usual way, the butcher should be desired to take off the skin; and care should be taken to preserve the fat from being ever so lightly burned: it should be managed, indeed, in the same manner as the saddle, in every respect, and carved also in the same way, either in its entire length or in oblique slices.