The best roasts are the fore and hind quarters.

Roast Leg of Lamb.

Professional cooks serve a roast or baked hind quarter of lamb rather rare, or well done on the outside and pink within. It is really better, although it must be served steaming hot. Serve a caper, pickle, or mint sauce with it. If it is neatly carved through the centre, it will present a good appearance served again the next day, by stuffing the cut-out space with boiled mashed potatoes, smoothing it evenly around, and placing it long enough in the oven to become thoroughly hot.

Roast Fore Quarter of Lamb.

This may or may not be partly stuffed, a common veal stuffing answering the purpose very well. It should be well seasoned with pepper and salt, thoroughly cooked, and often basted.

Lamb Chops.

This is a favorite dinner-company dish, generally arranged in a circle around green pease. They should be neatly trimmed, the bones scraped, then rolled in a little melted butter, and carefully broiled. When done, rub more butter over them, and season them with pepper and salt. Slip little paper ruffles (see page 61) over the ends of the bones. They may be served with a centre of almost any kind of vegetable, such as a smooth hemisphere of mashed potatoes or spinach, or with beans, cauliflowers or stuffed baked tomatoes, or with a tomato-sauce.

Saddle of Lamb or Mutton.

This is considered a delicate roast. Roast it in the usual manner. Serve caper, mint, or any of the sauces or vegetables that are used with other dishes of lamb or mutton.

Lamb Croquettes

are made the same as chicken croquettes, only substituting cold cooked lamb for the chicken. Many prefer the lamb to the chicken croquettes, even for dinner or lunch parties.

Sheep’s Kidneys.

The best manner of cooking is to sautÉ them. They must be perfectly fresh (they spoil soon), sautÉd on a quick fire, never allowed to boil in the sauce (this would spoil the gravy), and served with a little wine in the sauce.

First cut them into slices; season, and sautÉ them in a little hot suet, clarified drippings, or butter. When done, put them on a hot plate. Now take a second stew-pan, put in a piece of butter the size of a large hickory-nut; when it is hot, throw in a tea-spoonful of minced onion, two sprigs of parsley, minced also, and a tea-spoonful of flour; when they become red, pour in one and a half cupfuls of hot water or stock. Let it simmer a few moments, then season with pepper and salt, and strain it; now add a table-spoonful of sherry or port wine, and the pieces of kidney. A few drops of lemon-juice may or may not be added. Let the kidney remain a few moments in the sauce without boiling, and serve. Professional cooks generally add minced mushrooms; but the dish is quite good enough without them.