No. 1743

Hind Saddle of Lamb, American Style

Selle d'Agneau a l'Americaine

Cut off the hind saddle between the first and second ribs, remove both legs, cutting them away in a round from off the loin and toward the flanks; suppress also a thin peel covering the skin and some of the loin and kidney fat; roll the flanks over on themselves, keep them in position with four turns of twine, then run the spit between the twine and saddle; hold the latter in position with several skewers which should run through both the saddle and spit (Fig. 344), then have a sufficiently strong skewer to run into the loin marrow bone fastening it securely on the spit with a string, place over the saddle a long skewer held to the spit with two rings--one at each end of the saddle or instead of rings strong twine may be used; cover the meat with heavy buttered paper and maintain it in position with four rows of string. The cradle spit (Fig. 116) is better adapted for roasting this cut of meat; all that is necessary is to place the saddle in the middle. One hour before serving, put the saddle in the spit and tea minutes before needed, unwrap, glaze, and dress on a dish; serve with a separate half-glaze sauce (No. 413).

← No. 1742 Hind Saddle of Lamb a la Sanford Lamb No. 1744 Hind Saddle of Lamb, French Style →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer is describing spit-roasting a whole lamb saddle at a hotel range, and most of the text is butchery and rigging rather than cooking. Reduced to essentials: trim, tie, roast covered, uncover at the end to color it, serve with demi-glace on the side.

What the cut isThe hind saddle is the unsplit loin section with both flanks attached, cut here between the first and second ribs; the legs are removed, leaving the saddle proper. A butcher will need notice for this. A trimmed saddle on a modern lamb may run in the region of 5-7 lb, likely heavier than the joint Ranhofer had in mind.
"Tea minutes" is a typoThe original reads "tea minutes before needed" -- it means ten. Unwrap, glaze and dress ten minutes before the saddle goes to table, so it rests while the paper is off.
Without a spitRoast on a rack in a shallow pan. Start at 450F for 15-20 minutes to set the surface, then drop to 325-350F for the remainder. Turning is unnecessary in an oven; the cradle spit held the joint steady before the fire, which is why Ranhofer prefers it for this cut.
The buttered paperHeavy buttered paper keeps the flanks and the exposed loin from drying and darkening too soon. Buttered parchment tied on with kitchen twine does the same thing. Remove it for the last ten minutes so the surface takes color.
One hour is not a ruleRanhofer's hour presumably supposes a smaller saddle set close to a hot fire. Cook to temperature instead: 130-135F at the thickest part of the loin for medium rare. USDA guidance for whole cuts of lamb is 145F with a three-minute rest.
GlazeTo glaze in this book means brushing with reduced meat stock and returning the joint briefly to a fierce heat until it shines, not applying a sweet coating. A few spoonfuls of well-reduced lamb or veal stock will do it.
Half-glaze sauceNo. 413 is demi-glace -- brown stock and espagnole reduced together. A good reduced lamb jus, skimmed of fat and sharpened with a splash of the roasting pan deglazed in wine, stands in for it.
Carving and yieldCarve the loins in long slices parallel to the backbone, or in short cross-cuts through the eye; do not forget the two fillets underneath, which are the best of it. A trimmed saddle of this size serves eight to ten as a course.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer ran the kitchens at Delmonico's in New York for roughly three decades, in two spells, and The Epicurean (1894) is essentially that restaurant's working repertory written out at length, complete with engraved figures showing how a joint is trussed to the spit. The saddle -- selle -- was the show cut of formal service: unsplit, presented whole on a long dish and carved in the room, it advertised both the quality of the butchery and the size of the party. Ranhofer draws a distinction between an "American style" saddle and the French one that follows it in the book, and the book runs several such variants back to back. The elaborate business with skewers, rings and a cradle spit is a reminder that in 1894 a first-class hotel kitchen still roasted before an open fire, though Ranhofer had a closed oven as well.