Gigot Marine en Chevreuil

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Larding needle, or a sturdy metal skewer and narrow chopstick
• •Nonreactive dish or heavy food-safe bag large enough for the lamb
• •Roasting pan fitted with a rack
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Medium saucepan, coarse strainer, and fine-mesh strainer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare and lard

   Ask the butcher to remove the aitch bone, shorten the shank bone, and expose the meat across the broad upper face of the leg. Chill the bacon until firm. With a larding needle, or a clean metal skewer followed by a narrow chopstick, open 12 to 16 channels running with the grain of the meat. Push a bacon strip through each channel, leaving tiny ends visible at the surface, then tie the leg into a compact shape. If the bacon smears or tears, stop and chill it again for 15 minutes. Ça se rattrape; cold bacon threads cleanly.

2. 2

   Marinate under refrigeration

   Set the larded leg in a snug nonreactive dish or heavy food-safe bag and cover it with the completely cold Marinade for Mutton, Roebuck-style (No. 170), made from Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168). Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the joint morning and evening if it isn't fully submerged. Young lamb doesn't need the longer treatment once used for mature mutton, and too much time in the acidic bath makes its surface woolly rather than tender. When ready to cook, lift out the lamb and measure 1 cup (240 ml / about 250 g) of the used marinade for the sauce. Discard the remainder.

3. 3

   Dry the lamb

   Remove every clinging aromatic and pat the leg dry with several changes of towel. Set it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven heats to 500°F (260°C). The surface should feel tacky, never wet. If beads of marinade remain, pat again rather than trusting extra heat to solve the problem. This dryness is the principle that decides the roast.

4. 4

   Build the sauce

   Melt the butter in a medium saucepan until its foam subsides. Add the Mirepoix (No. 228), prepared with ham, and cook over medium heat until thoroughly browned, about 8 minutes. If the vegetables begin to catch, add a spoonful of the measured Marinade for Mutton, Roebuck-style (No. 170), made from Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), and scrape the pan clean. Pour in the rest of that 1 cup of used marinade, bring it to a full boil, and boil for at least 5 minutes before it goes anywhere near a tasting spoon. Reduce it by about two-thirds, then add the Ordinary Poivrade Sauce (No. 49) and hold everything at a bare simmer for 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Roast fierce, then steady

   Set the lamb broad side up on a rack in a roasting pan and place it in the fierce oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the surface takes a dark bronze crust. Lower the heat to 375°F (190°C) and continue roasting for 35 to 50 minutes. During the final 5 minutes, return the oven to 500°F (260°C) if needed to rissole the exposed bacon, meaning brown it deeply. Shield any patch that darkens too quickly with a loose piece of foil. Remove the roast when a thermometer in the thickest meat, clear of bone and bacon channels, reads 140°F (60°C); it should reach 145°F (63°C) as it rests.

6. 6

   Despumate and finish

   Press the sauce firmly through a coarse strainer, squeezing the aromatics with the back of a ladle, then return it to a clean saucepan. Hold it at the gentlest simmer for 30 minutes and despumate it, skimming away every patch of fat and froth that rises. Add the red wine little by little during the final few minutes, letting each addition lose its raw edge before the next. Stir in the cayenne and sugar, taste, and add salt only if the sauce asks for it. Pass it once more through a fine-mesh strainer. If it is too thin, reduce it; if too tight, loosen it with a tablespoon of hot water. If fat beads across the top, let the sauce settle for 2 minutes and skim again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Rest the gigot

   Move the gigot to a warm platter and tent it loosely with foil for 20 to 25 minutes. Verify that the centre reaches 145°F (63°C); if it doesn't, return the joint to the 375°F (190°C) oven briefly. Resting lets the heat settle through the meat and keeps the first slice from emptying its juices across the platter. Keep the sauce warm over the lowest heat, never at a hard boil.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Remove the twine and carve the lamb across the grain into generous slices, cutting around the remaining bone. Arrange the slices against the intact portion of the leg on a long warm platter so the burnished surface and bacon larding remain visible. Pour the chevreuil sauce into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately, as the source intends. No paper frill is required. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Tell the butcher exactly what you need: remove the aitch bone, shorten the shank, and expose the broad upper face of the leg for larding. This is useful butchery, not decoration, and most shops will do it when asked in advance.
• •Use unsmoked streaky bacon or fresh side pork. Smoked bacon takes command of the juniper and pepper, while the unsmoked fat seasons and bastes without changing the dish's character.
• •A marinade that has held raw lamb must boil for at least 5 minutes before tasting. Keep it cold until it reaches the saucepan, and discard whatever the sauce doesn't require.
• •Pour a medium-bodied dry red with clear acidity, not a heavily oaked or sweet-fruited bottle. The juniper, wine, and pepper want freshness beside them.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Marinade for Mutton, Roebuck-style (No. 170), from Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), far enough ahead for it to become completely cold before the lamb enters it.
• •Lard the gigot and begin its 48-hour refrigerated marinade two days before dinner. Turn it twice daily if the liquid doesn't cover it completely.
• •The sauce can be finished up to 4 hours before serving. Cover its surface, refrigerate if holding longer than 2 hours, then reheat gently and loosen with a spoonful of hot water if it has tightened.
• •Leftover lamb and sauce keep separately under refrigeration for up to 3 days. Reheat slices briefly in the sauce over low heat so the lamb doesn't dry out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)