Gigot Marine en Chevreuil

Gigot mariné en chevreuil (marinated leg of lamb in the manner of roe deer) teaches the discipline of a marinated roast. The one true thing is that the leg must feel dry and slightly tacky before it enters a fierce oven. A wet surface fights browning; a dry one lets the lamb bronze and the exposed bacon rissole while the interior stays tender.

The original recipe assumed a larder cook to shorten the bones and work a larding needle, then a saucier tending poivrade from a stockpot that never went cold. At home, the butcher prepares the joint, a metal skewer opens channels for the bacon, and a fine-mesh strainer replaces the tammy. The leg and marinade are scaled for four, and young lamb receives 48 refrigerated hours rather than several days judged by weather. The paper frill is brigade scaffolding and can go. The larding, cooked marinade, fierce opening heat, pressed aromatics, and patient skimming are the dish, so they stay.

The marinating begins two days ahead, but the roasting and sauce come together with one cook, one stove, one evening. Before the gigot meets its roasting pan, dry it without mercy. Heat can brown a dry roast; it can't argue with a wet one.