The best roasts are the leg, the saddle, and the shoulder of mutton. They are all roasted according to the regular rules for roasting. In England, mutton is hung some time before cooking. There must be something in the air of England quite different from that of America in reference to the hanging of meats and game; there, it is to be confessed, the mutton, after having hung a certain length of time, certainly is most delicious; here it would be unwholesome, simply not fit to eat. These joints of which I speak are also good braised. Serve currant-jelly-sauce with the roast, or garnish it with stuffed baked tomatoes.

Boiled Leg of Mutton.

This should be quite fresh. Put it into well-salted boiling water, which do not let stop boiling until the meat is thoroughly done. The rule is to boil it a quarter of an hour for each pound of meat. Caper-sauce should be served with this dish, either in a sauce-boat or poured over the mutton; garnish with parsley.

Mutton Cutlets.

Trim them well, scraping the bones; roll them in a little melted butter or oil, season, and broil them; or they are nice egged, bread-crumbed, and fried. They are especially nice when broiled, served around a bed of mashed boiled potatoes: the cutlets help to season the potatoes, which in turn well suit the meat. Tomato-sauce is also a favorite companion to the cutlets. They may, however, be served with almost any kind of vegetables, such as pease or string-beans, in the centre of the dish, and the cutlets arranged in a circle around.

Ragouts (made of Pieces of Mutton, Veal, Beef, or Rabbits).

Cut the upper parts, or the neck, from a fore-quarter of mutton (or take inferior cuts from any part) into pieces for a ragout; heat a heaping table-spoonful of drippings, or lard, in a saucepan, and when hot sautÉ in it the pieces of mutton (say two pounds) until they are almost done; take them out, put in a table-spoonful of flour, brown it, add at first a little cold or lukewarm water, mix it well, then add a quart of boiling water; now add also salt, Cayenne pepper, two cloves, the pieces of sautÉd meat, three or four onions (not large), and six or seven peeled potatoes. Some prefer to boil the potatoes a few minutes in other water first, as the water in which potatoes are boiled is considered unwholesome; cover the stew-pan well. When the vegetables are cooked, take them and the meat out, skim off every particle of fat from the gravy, taste to see if it is properly seasoned, pour it over the ragout, and serve.

These ragouts can be made with the neck, or any pieces of veal, in the same manner, or with pieces of beef, in which case carrots might be substituted for the potatoes. A ragout of rabbits is most excellent made in the same way, adding a glassful of red wine when it is almost done.

In buying a fore quarter of mutton, there are enough trimmings for a good ragout, with a shapely roast besides.

Another Ragout (of Pieces of Mutton, Veal, Beef, etc.).

Make rich pie-paste about the size of an egg (for four persons); roll it a quarter of an inch thick; cut it into diamonds, say an inch long and half an inch broad. Bake them, and put them aside until five minutes before serving the ragout. Take mutton, veal, beef, or almost any kind of meat. Any cheap cut of meat will make a good ragout, and choice cuts had better be cooked in other ways. In this instance, I will say, cut two pounds from the side of mutton. Put a table-spoonful of lard or drippings into a saucepan, and when hot sautÉ in it the pieces of mutton; when half done, place them in a kettle. Add a heaping table-spoonful of flour to the drippings in the saucepan; stir it constantly several minutes to brown, then add gradually a pint of hot water; now pour this over the meat in the kettle, adding three small onions, two sprigs of parsley, three cloves, and a clove or bulb of garlic, if you have it; pepper and salt. Cover it closely, and let it simmer slowly for an hour, occasionally turning the kettle to one side to skim off all the fat. Five minutes before serving, add the diamonds of crust.

At the moment of serving, take out the meat, crust, and three onions, and arrange them on a hot platter. Pass the gravy through a sieve, and skim off every remaining particle of fat; taste to see if it is properly seasoned with pepper and salt, and pour it over the meat.

Sheep’s Tongues, with Spinach.

Braise a number of sheep’s-tongues with salt pork, parsley, onion, some whole peppers, a tea-spoonful of sugar, and enough stock to cover them. Let them simmer one and a half hours. Serve with spinach in the centre of the dish, and seasoned with lemon-juice, a little of the tongue stock, some Cayenne pepper, salt, and butter. Serve the tongues around it, and diamonds or fancy cuts of fried bread (croÛtons) around the outside circle.

Sheep’s Tongues À la Mayonnaise.

Boil half a dozen sheep’s tongues with one or two slices of bacon, one carrot, one onion, two cloves, two or three sprigs of parsley, salt and pepper (some add two table-spoonfuls of sherry or port wine, but this may be omitted), and enough boiling water (or, better, stock) to cover them. Let them simmer about one and a half hours, replenishing the boiling water or the stock when necessary. When thoroughly done, skin and trim them neatly; lay them between two plates, to flatten them. A professional cook would glaze them with the stock boiled down in which they were cooked; however, this is only for the sake of appearance. Arrange them in a circle around a dish, with a Mayonnaise sauce poured in the centre.

Sheep’s Tongues, with Sauce Tartare.

Boil the tongues in salted water into which has been squeezed the juice of half a lemon (for six tongues). Serve with sauce Tartare (see page 128).