Select a 3- to 4-pound shoulder of lamb, plump and well-fatted. Remove the fell or thin papery covering; take out all the bones and save them for broth. According to the way the shoulder blade is taken out, the shoulder may be stuffed and rolled, or stuffed to make a cushion. The cushion-style shoulder holds more stuffing and is easier to sew together than the roll. Either of these completely boned stuffed shoulders can be carved straight through in attractive slices of part meat and part stuffing.
Make mint stuffing (p. 10). Sprinkle the inside of the meat pocket with salt and pepper, pile the stuffing in lightly and sew the edges together. Sprinkle the outside with salt, pepper, and flour also if desired. Place the stuffed shoulder, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow pan. Do not add water and do not cover.
Cook until tender in a moderate oven (350° F.)—allow about 2½ hours. Turn occasionally for even cooking. Remove the strings before serving. Serve piping hot with gravy made from the pan drippings, or chill and serve cold.
Breast of lamb makes a good roast for two or three persons. Select a breast that includes the foreshank. Saw or crack the breastbone so that the roast can be carved between the ribs. Remove the foreshank, cut off the meat, and grind it for the forcemeat stuffing. Make a pocket in the breast by slipping the knife between the flesh and the ribs.
Make forcemeat stuffing (p. 10). Sprinkle the inside of the pocket with salt and pepper, pile all but ½ cup of the stuffing in lightly, and sew the edges together. Sprinkle the outside of the meat with salt and pepper, and if desired with flour also. Lay the stuffed breast, ribs down, on a rack in a shallow pan. Do not add water and do not cover.
Cook until tender in a moderately hot oven (375° F.)—allow about 1½ hours. Turn the roast occasionally for even cooking. Make gravy with the pan drippings. Remove the strings before serving.
Baked stuffed onions.—Choose a large, mild-flavored variety. Cut the onions in half crosswise and simmer in lightly salted water until about half done. Lift the onions out, drain, and arrange in a baking dish. Remove the centers without breaking the outer layers, chop, and add to the ½ cup of forcemeat stuffing. Fill the onion shells with this mixture, cover, and bake until tender at 375° F.—about ½ hour. Remove the cover from the baking dish during the last half of the cooking so that the onions will brown well on top.
Serve piping hot with the roast breast and gravy.
8
