Leftover Roast Veal

A thrifty way to reassemble cold roast veal into something that looks like a fresh joint. The whole dish depends on the sauce being loose enough to coat and the top browning fast, before the meat inside dries out.

• The hinge: brown it hot and quickCold cooked veal has nothing left to gain from time in the oven, and reheating it slowly makes it stringy. Build the dish, then brown under a broiler or in a 425F oven only until the crumbs colour and the sauce bubbles, roughly 10-15 minutes.
• White sauce quantitiesNo amount is given. For about a pound of sliced veal, figure 1 1/2 to 2 cups of medium bechamel: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 cups milk. Keep it warm and pourable, since the slices must be dipped rather than spread.
• "Mellow cheese"Most likely means a mild, well-ripened cheese that melts smoothly rather than a sharp one: a mild Cheddar, Gruyere or Emmental would suit. Avoid anything young and rubbery, which tends to string rather than blend into the sauce.
• CrumbsDry crumbs from stale bread, not the fresh soft sort and not the modern sandy packaged kind. Tossing them with a little melted butter first helps them colour evenly.
• Shaping the loafThe recipe asks for the slices to be built up into the shape of a small loaf; in practice it is easier to shingle them in a shallow buttered gratin dish than to try to make the shape freestand. Either way, cut down through the layers to serve.
• Seasoning the leftoversMeat that has already been roasted and chilled tastes flat. Season the sauce more assertively than you would normally -- salt, white pepper, a scrape of nutmeg, a little mustard.
• YieldA pound of veal built this way serves three to four with the mushrooms alongside. It is a supper dish, not a centrepiece.