Braised Leg of Mutton is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a leg of mutton braised on a bed of vegetables and herbs with gravy or water in a tin lined with bacon that is glazed before serving on a bed of cooked haricot beans. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Braised Leg of Mutton.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
BRAISED LEG OF MUTTON.
708. INGREDIENTS.—1 small leg of mutton, 4 carrots, 3 onions, 1 faggot of savoury herbs, a bunch of parsley, seasoning to taste of pepper and salt, a few slices of bacon, a few veal trimmings, 1/2 pint of gravy or water.
Mode.—Line the bottom of a braising-pan with a few slices of bacon, put in the carrots, onions, herbs, parsley, and seasoning, and over these place the mutton. Cover the whole with a few more slices of bacon and the veal trimmings, pour in the gravy or water, and stew very gently for 4 hours. Strain the gravy, reduce it to a glaze over a sharp fire, glaze the mutton with it, and send it to table, placed on a dish of white haricot beans boiled tender, or garnished with glazed onions.
Time.—4 hours. Average cost, 5s.
Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 small leg of mutton
4 carrots, scraped and halved lengthways
3 onions, peeled and halved
1 bunch of savoury herbs, securely tied
1 bunch of parsley
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
10 rashers of streaky bacon
60g veal trimmings
200g cooked haricot beans (tinned is fine)
300ml gravy or water
Method:
Stretch the bacon with the back of a knife and use half to line the base of a baking tin. Arrange the carrots, onions, herbs and parsley on top. Season liberally with salt and black pepper then lay the mutton on top. Cover with the remaining bacon and the veal trimmings then pour in the gravy or water.
Place on the hob, bring to a simmer then cover and stew gently for about 4 hours. Strain the gravy from the dish and set aside to keep warm. Meanwhile, pour the gravy into a pan and reduce over high heat until you have a glaze.
In the meantime, warm the haricot beans through. To serve, remove the mutton from the pan and coat with the glaze. Arrange the haricot beans on a serving plate, sit the mutton on top and bring to the table.
