Mint Sauce

A cold, uncooked sauce for roast lamb, thinner and sweeter than the jarred product. It takes five minutes of work and half an hour of standing.

• What "1 bunch" meansRoughly a supermarket bunch of spearmint; bunches vary, but figure on a cup or more of loosely packed leaves before chopping. Strip the leaves from the stems, which are stringy and better left out.
• The hinge: let it steepThe half hour covered is what makes the sauce taste of mint rather than of sweetened vinegar. The boiling water and sugar draw out the oils, and the cover keeps the volatile aromatics in the bowl instead of the air.
• Add the vinegar lastAcid dulls the green of chopped mint, so keeping the vinegar out of the steep helps the colour. The recipe holds the remaining ingredients back until just before serving.
• Which vinegarA plain cider or white wine vinegar at around 5 percent acidity suits it. Distilled white vinegar works but is harsher; malt vinegar is the traditional British choice and gives a darker sauce.
• PaprikaNo quantity is given because it is a dusting for colour rather than a measured ingredient. Use sweet paprika; hot or smoked will overwhelm the mint.
• ChoppingChop by hand with a sharp knife rather than in a processor. A clean cut keeps the mint greener than pounding or bruising it does.
• Yield and servingAbout 3/4 cup, enough for six to eight servings of lamb. Serve at room temperature in a small pitcher or sauceboat and stir again just before it goes to the table, since the mint settles.
• KeepingBest the day it is made. It will hold a day or two refrigerated, but the mint darkens and the sauce loses its lift.