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Mutton En Masquerade
545. Take a shoulder of mutton, and let it be half roasted, then cut the skin off and mince the meat with a good gravy. Season it, and put it back upon the bone. Cover with crumbs of bread, and brown it over. Oysters, or any other flavouring material may be added; and the mince may be made of the underside of the shoulder, if the joint has been roasted and sent to table previously.
A Victorian way of stretching or reviving a roast shoulder: the meat is minced, sauced and returned to its own bone under a browned crumb crust. The hinge is timing the first roast so the meat is still moist when you mince it.
- Half roastedThe recipe gives no time or temperature. As a rough guide, a 4-5 lb shoulder might need somewhere under an hour in a moderate oven: long enough that the outside has set and taken colour while the interior is still pink and juicy. Meat taken further will be dry once minced and reheated.
- Lifting the skinThe "skin" is the browned outer layer plus its fat cap. Cut it away while the joint is warm, when it peels back cleanly; cold it tears and takes good meat with it.
- MincingHand-chop with a knife rather than using a food processor, which turns cooked mutton to paste. Pea-sized pieces hold their texture under the crumbs.
- A good gravyThe recipe does not say what the gravy should be. Roasting-pan juices loosened with a strong lamb or beef stock, thickened lightly with a little flour and butter, will answer; add enough that the mince is bound and glossy but not soupy.
- Season itNo amounts are given. Salt, pepper and a scrape of nutmeg or mace is the period register; anchovy essence, Worcestershire sauce or a spoonful of mushroom ketchup all suit mutton and were condiments available at the time.
- If you add oystersFold them in raw at the last moment and let the oven finish them. Oysters held in hot gravy for more than a couple of minutes shrink and turn rubbery.
- Crumbs and browningFresh breadcrumbs tossed with melted butter, then browned in a hot oven or a few minutes under the grill once the mince is hot through. The recipe gives no temperature. Make sure the mince itself is heated to 165F rather than relying on the crust for colour alone.
- Mutton versus lambTrue mutton is rare in shops now; a lamb shoulder will do, with a shorter first roast and a lighter hand on the spicing, since lamb has less to cover up.
- YieldA shoulder treated this way serves four to six, with potatoes and a sharp accompaniment such as pickled walnuts or redcurrant jelly.