Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/157

 MEATS. 137

it part of an onion finely minced. Sew the leg up" underneath to pre- vent the dressing or stuffing from falling out. Bind and tie it up com- pactly ; put it in a roasting pan, turn in a cup of hot water and place it in a moderately hot oven, basting it occasionally. When partly cooked season with salt and pepper. When thoroughly cooked, re- move and place the leg on a warm platter ; skim the grease from the top of the drippings, add a cup of water and thicken with a spoonful of dissolved flour. Send the gravy to the table in a gravy dish, also a dish of currant jelly.

BOILED LEG OF MUTTON.

To PREPARE a leg of mutton for boiling, wash it clean, cut a small piece off the shank bone, and trim the knuckle. Put it into a pot with water enough to cover it, and boil gently from two to three hours, skimming well. Then take it from the fire, and keeping the pot well covered, let it finish by remaining in the steam for ten or fifteen min- utes. Serve it up with a sauce boat of melted butter, into which a tea- cupful of capers or nasturtiums have been stirred. If the broth is to be used for soup, put in a little salt while boiling ; if not, salt it well when partly done, and boil the meat in a cloth.

BRAISED LEG OF MUTTON.

THIS recipe can be varied either by preparing the leg with a stuff- ing, placed in the cavity after having the bone removed, or cooking it without. Having lined the bottom of a thick iron kettle or stewpan with a few thin slices of bacon, put over the bacon four carrots, three onions, a bunch of savory herbs; then over these place the leg of mutton. Cover the whole with a few more slices of bacon, then pour over half a pint of water. Cover with a tight cover and stew very gently for four hours, basting the leg occasionally with its own liquor, and seasoning it with salt and pepper as soon as it begins to be tender. When cooked strain the gravy, thicken with a spoonful of flour (it should be quite brown), pour some of it over the meat and send the remainder to the table in a tureen, to be served with the mutton when carved. Garnish the dish around the leg with potatoes cut in the shape of olives and fried a light brown in butter.

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