No. 1737

Fore Saddle of Lamb with Chestnuts

Selle d'Agneau de Devant aux Marrons

Select a fore saddle of lamb with the two racks, lift off the shoulders and cut the rack bones in such a way that the saddle is not more than four inches high through its entire length; suppress the skin covering the fat and then roast it in a pan in the oven; this will take about twenty minutes. When done dress on a long dish, glaze and garnish around the meat with peeled chestnuts braised with branches of celery, and pour over some gravy (No. 404) or else serve it separately.

← No. 1736 Double or Saddle of Lamb with the Legs and P Lamb No. 1738 Hind Saddle of Lamb, a la Brighton →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer assumes a butcher's counter and a kitchen full of stock pots. Translated, this is a double rack of lamb — the fore saddle, both racks joined at the spine, shoulders removed — roasted hot and fast and ringed with braised chestnuts.

What a fore saddle isThe forward half of the carcass split lengthwise and left joined: both rib racks in one piece, with the shoulders taken off. Ask for a whole bone-in double rack, chine intact, about 4-5 lb; two frenched racks of 8 ribs each are the practical substitute if a butcher will not cut it whole.
"Suppress the skin covering the fat"Remove the papery fell over the fat cap, not the fat itself. Leave a thin layer of fat to baste the meat and take the glaze.
Cutting to four inchesHe wants the rib bones shortened so the joint sits no more than four inches high along its whole length. Have the butcher saw the ribs down; a low, even saddle cooks more evenly than a tall one.
Oven heatRanhofer gives no oven temperature, only twenty minutes, which implies a hot oven; around 450F is a reasonable modern reading. Roast to an internal 130-135F at the thickest part for pink lamb and rest 10 minutes before carving. A joint of this size may take longer than the twenty minutes given.
GlazeNineteenth-century glaze is glace de viande, veal or beef stock reduced to a syrup. Brush it on after roasting for gloss. Reduced demi-glace or a heavily reduced stock does the same work.
Gravy No. 404Ranhofer's cross-reference is to his gravy (jus), a stock-based preparation rather than a flour-thickened American gravy. Deglaze the roasting pan with stock, reduce, strain.
The chestnutsPeeling raw chestnuts means scoring, roasting or boiling briefly, then working off both the shell and the inner skin while hot. Vacuum-packed or jarred whole chestnuts are the sane shortcut; they only need the braise. Braise them barely covered in stock with celery ribs until tender, about 20 minutes, and handle gently — they collapse into purée if stirred.
YieldA whole fore saddle serves six to eight; two chops each. Carve down between the ribs and serve the chestnuts around the platter as directed.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of thirty-odd years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and this entry sits in a run of saddle-of-lamb variations that shows how a single cut was worked into a dozen menu lines.