No. 1715

Leg of Yearling Lamb with Gravy Roasted

Gigot d'Agneau Tardif Roti au jus

Pare and beat a leg of yearling lamb to soften it, then run the spit skewer through to bring it out at the kernel without injuring the meat, allowing it to follow the course of the bone. Tie the bone tightly to the spit, place a long skewer over it and fasten firmly at each end. It will take from an hour to an hour and a quarter to cook. When done, dress and trim the handle with a frill, (No. 10) and serve the dripping pan gravy at the same time as the meat, stirring into it a little clear gravy (No. 404); skim the fat from the top and pass it through a fine sieve.

To Roast in the Oven.—Lay the leg in a baking pan, besmear it with good fat and cook it for one hour to an hour and a quarter according to its size. It will take a few moments longer to roast it in the oven than on the spit.

← No. 1714 Leg of Lamb with Carrots Lamb No. 1716 Leg of Lamb with Puree of Onions with Cream →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer assumes a spit turning before an open fire and a cook who judges doneness by eye. The oven method he gives as an afterthought is the one to follow, with a thermometer standing in for his experience.

What a yearling leg isAgneau tardif is late-season lamb, older and larger than spring lamb. Ranhofer gives no weight, only "according to its size"; a bone-in leg of roughly 6 to 8 lb would serve eight to ten. A modern supermarket leg of 5 to 6 lb is smaller than that and will cook faster.
Oven heatNo temperature is given because his ovens had none to give. Roast at 425F for the first 20 minutes to colour the outside, then drop to 350F for the remainder; that reproduces the hard radiant heat of the spit followed by gentler cooking.
The timing is for rare meatThe timing is short -- An hour to an hour and a quarter for a whole leg will leave the centre pink; the recipe says only "when done" and gives no indication of the doneness intended. Pull it at 130-135F at the thickest part for medium rare, 140-145F for medium, and rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
"Pare and beat to soften"Beating was a tenderising measure for older, tougher mutton-ish lamb. Skip it. Paring still applies: remove the papery fell and trim the outer fat to about a quarter inch, leaving enough to baste the meat.
The kernel and the spitThe "kernel" is the small gland in the fat near the hip joint, and the spit was threaded alongside the bone so the leg would not spin loose. In the oven, set the leg fat side up on a rack in the pan so the fat renders down over it.
"Besmear with good fat"This means beef dripping, clarified butter or lard rubbed over the surface. Olive oil does the same job. Salt generously an hour ahead if you have time.
The gravyThe No. 404 he cross-references is his clear gravy, in effect a brown stock. Use a good unsalted beef or lamb stock reduced by half. Skim the fat from the pan drippings, deglaze the pan with a little of the stock, combine, and strain through a fine sieve as directed; it is a thin jus, not a thickened gravy.
The frillNo. 10 is a paper frill for the exposed shank bone, purely decorative. Modern legs are often sold with the shank sawn short, in which case there is nothing to dress.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of thirty-odd years as chef at Delmonico's in New York. The double set of instructions here catches a kitchen mid-transition. Spit roasting before a fire was still the standard against which everything was measured, and Ranhofer notes that the oven takes a few moments longer; within a generation the closed range had won and the spit survived mainly as a restaurant flourish. The paper frill on the shank bone belongs to the same vanished world of dining-room presentation, where a joint was carved in view of the guests and expected to look the part.