[Smashy the Hammer] [An Aspiring Luddite]
I carry no phone
An aspiring Luddite
In a wired world.
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[Jeff Berry]
Jeff Berry is an early adopter of the Internet and the Web, a late adopter of Twitter, and declines to adopt Facebook. With the death of Google+, he migrated to the Fediverse. He admins a medievalist Mastodon instance. He hates cell-phones.

Slaughtering the Leaned Goat
21 March 2014
[Stuffed Leg of Goat]

The prodigal pDaughter came to visit us in Strensall, and, even though it was Lent, we needed to celebrate. In our joy, we slaughtered a leaned goat, since the shop had no fatted calves. Actually, we didn't so much 'slaughter' as 'defrost,' since the leaned goat was already slaughtered, butchered, and residing in the freezer. We did roast it, though, and then ate it with delight and roasted vegetables.

We used a bone-in leg of goat, but leg of lamb would also be suitable. I tend to prefer bone-in for this application; I think bone improves the flavor, plus you get bones for stock. Bone-in is also usually cheaper. That said, boneless is mechanically simpler, since you just need to unroll the boned leg, stuff it, and then roll it back up. Whichever way you go, you should be able to achieve a thoroughly satisfactory outcome.

Allons-y! (Or 'Eamus!' if you prefer.) [Lots of pictures]

Stuffed Leg of Goat (or Lamb)

Cut the roast open to the bone on one side, almost as if preparing to bone it. Dice the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Mix them together with a good amount of salt, pepper, and your herbs of choice. Work all that into the area you've slit in your leg (well, not your leg, hopefully, but the roast). Truss the leg.

Load a roasting dish with potatoes, carrots, onions, and/or your root vegetables of preference. Cut the firm ones into roughly equivalent sizes, but soft ones like onions can be left whole. Delicately balance the roast on top of the veg. Dust it with salt and pepper on the outside. If your roast is lean - goat is often quite lean, lamb can be less so - put some fat-bearing substance on top to keep it lubricated. I had some goat suet and I placed a few strips and chunks of that on top. Bacon also serves this purpose well, and, if you use bacon, you can probably skip the dusting of salt.

Into a moderate oven it goes, something in a 175C/350F is about right. Give it about an hour for a smallish roast, longer for a bigger one - that should give you a nice pink colour. Check that it's done to your liking, of course, and a bit longer isn't going to hurt it as long as it's got enough fat on it or in it to keep it from drying out. Let it rest a bit, then slice and serve.

Next week, I think I'll actually have a Lenten dish for you ...

(Photographs, especially those including my hands, courtesy of the pDaughter.)


© 2014 Jeff Berry
The Aspiring Luddite