Large Cold Joints of Mutton

Grosses pièces froides de mouton (large cold joints of mutton) teach one true thing: cold meat must be carved thinly across the grain. Chilling firms the muscle and solidifies the fat, so a careless cut that seemed harmless at supper becomes coarse and waxy at luncheon. Trim with judgment, carve cleanly, and mutton's deep roast flavor needs no disguise.

The original entry assumed a great joint left from service, a cold room, a practiced carver, and enough hands to arrange a grand platter. It sends the cook to Cold Beef for the same plain handling, then makes its own instruction admirably brief: keep the dishing simple, and treat garnish as optional. There is no saucier's work here, no stockpot, and no salamander. At home, a 1⅓-pound cooked joint, one sharp knife, and an oval platter serve four generously. The ornamental architecture is brigade scaffolding and goes; careful trimming and carving are the dish, so they stay.

One cook, one stove, one evening, though tonight the stove gets the evening off. The step that matters is finding the grain before the first slice. Once you see its direction, turn the joint and cut squarely across it.