Mutton should be roasted with a quick brisk fire. Every part
should be trimmed off that cannot be eaten. Wash the meat well.
The skin should be taken off and skewered on again before the meat
is put on the spit; this will make it more juicy. Otherwise tie
paper over the fat, having soaked the twine in water to prevent
the string from burning. Put a little salt and water into the
dripping-pan, to baste the meat at first, then use its own gravy
for that purpose. A quarter of an hour before you think it will be
done, take off the skin or paper, dredge the meat very lightly
with flour, and baste it with butter. Skim the gravy and send it
to table in a boat. A leg of mutton will require from two hours
roasting to two hours and a half in proportion to its size. A
chine or saddle, from two hours and a half, to three hours. A
shoulder, from an hour and a half, to two hours. A loin, from an
hour and three quarters, to two hours. A haunch (that is a leg
with, part of the loin) cannot be well roasted in less than four
hours.
Always have some currant jelly on the table to eat with roast
mutton. It should also be accompanied by mashed turnips.
Slices cut from a cold leg of mutton that has been under-done, are
very nice broiled or warmed on a gridiron, and sent to the
breakfast table covered with currant jelly.
Pickles are always eaten with mutton.
In preparing a leg of mutton for roasting, you may make deep
incisions in it, and stuff them with chopped oysters, or with a
force-meat made in the usual manner; or with chestnuts parboiled
and peeled. The gravy will be improved by stirring into it a glass
of port wine.