Why it works: Mutton and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,442 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Roast Mutton
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Trim the bone of the leg of mutton short.
Remove the kidney and fat from the underside and the skin on top.
Tie the leg into a round shape.
Roast
Place the leg of mutton in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes.
Tilt the pan and quickly remove the melted fat.
Pour in 1 cup of hot water to baste.
Reduce the heat.
Cook slowly, basting frequently, allowing 12-15 minutes per pound.
Carve
Carve lengthwise along the backbone.
Loosen all slices on one side.
Turn over the leg.
Carve the tenderloin.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leg of mutton
- Is the main cut of meat, providing the substance and flavour of the dish.
- Hot water
- Poured into the pan to baste the meat and add moisture while it roasts.
The step that matters
Removing the melted fat before basting. Fat that pools in the pan can make the meat greasy and cause it to fry rather than roast. Removing it quickly lets the hot water and dry oven heat work on the surface, and keeps the pan from spattering.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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