Shoulder of Lamb a la Benton

Bone a shoulder of lamb retaining the end or the handle bone; saw off the knuckle an inch from the handle and season the meat with salt, pepper and nutmeg, roll it into an elongated shape, tie it round with six rows of string making a knot at each row. Fry the shoulder lightly in a saucepan containing butter and melted fat pork and when lightly browned, drain off the butter and moisten to three-quarters of an inch of its height with stock (No. 194a), add a bunch of parsley garnished with bay leaf, as much thyme and a clove of garlic, boil and skim, then cook in a slow oven for about two hours, basting the meat frequently with its own broth. Twenty minutes before serving, put in four ounces of minced onions fried to a light color in butter and finish to cook and glaze the shoulder. Have two pounds of medium-sized, peeled, quartered and cored apples, range them on a buttered sauteing pan, pour over a little butter and sprinkle with sugar, then cook them in a slack oven. Prepare and fry two pounds of potatoes cut in cylinders one inch in circumference, and cut across three-sixteenths of an inch thick; soak them in cold water for an hour, then drain, wipe and fry in white frying lard until they assume a nice color, then salt over. Drain the shoulder, lay it in the center of a dish and glaze it over; strain and skim the fat from the stock, reduce it to the consistency of a light syrup and pour a little of it in the bottom of the dish; set the apples at both ends and arrange the fried potatoes at the sides; serve the reduced gravy at the same time, but separately.