No. 1746

Hind Saddle of Lamb with Gravy—Roasted

Selle d'Agneau Rotie au Jus

Trim a saddle of lamb by removing the legs and skin that covers it, also a little of the fat on the thick loin end and kidneys; roll the flaps over on themselves and tie the saddle firmly with four rows of string making a knot at each row; lay it in a baking pan, sprinkle over with salt, pour some fat on top and set it in a moderate oven; it will take from an hour to an hour and a quarter to roast a saddle without the legs. Serve the meat with some good clear gravy (No. 404).

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For the Modern Kitchen

A plain roast that depends entirely on butchery and on not overcooking a cut that Ranhofer expected to come to table pink. Two things need translating: what a saddle is, and what "moderate" meant in a coal range.

The cutA saddle is the whole unsplit loin section — both loins and both tenderloins joined at the backbone, with the belly flaps still attached. Ask a butcher for a lamb saddle or double loin, boned or bone-in; trimmed of the legs it will run roughly 5 to 7 lb and feed six to eight.
Oven temperature"Moderate" is conventionally read as somewhere around 350F, though the book itself gives no figures. One modern approach is to sear the saddle at 450F for 15 minutes and drop to 325F for the remainder, which browns the fat cap without driving the loins past medium.
Time and temperature, not the clockAn hour to an hour and a quarter at 350F will take a modern lamb saddle well past where anyone wants it. Roast to an internal reading of 130-135F at the thickest part of the loin for medium-rare, which on a 6 lb saddle is closer to 50-70 minutes, then rest 15-20 minutes before carving.
TrussingThe four rows of string are structural, not decorative: the rolled flaps hold the tenderloins in place and keep the whole thing an even thickness so both loins finish together. Tie snugly at even intervals and cut the strings only after resting.
"Pour some fat on top"Ranhofer does not say which fat; melted suet or drippings would be the likely period choice, and clarified butter or a neutral oil does the same work of basting the lean loin.
The gravyThe recipe asks for "good clear gravy" (No. 404), i.e. a clear jus rather than a flour-bound sauce. Brown the trimmings, deglaze the roasting pan with stock, reduce, and strain.
CarvingOff the bone, slice each loin crosswise. On the bone, run the knife down either side of the spine to free the loins whole, then slice; the tenderloins underneath come away separately and are the best of it.

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 shows how the book works: hundreds of numbered variations on the same few cuts, each one cross-referenced to a sauce or garnish elsewhere in the volume, so a kitchen brigade could assemble a menu by number. The saddle — selle — was the prestige roast of a lamb in French service, and is often said to have been carried whole to the table and carved in the room; its neighbours in this section (with mashed turnips, with a purée) are dressed for different courses. Serving it simply au jus was the plainest and in some ways the most exacting treatment, since nothing masks the meat.