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 ↓
The Hind Part of Mutton Roasted. Rot-de-Bif De Mouton a LA Broche.
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Break the bones of the saddle with a hatchet.
Skewer the knuckles together and roll the flank under.
Secure the knuckles and cover the whole with buttered paper.
Roast and serve
Roast in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on fire strength and size.
Serve with juice underneath or on top.
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).
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Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,781 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 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
- Mutton saddle
- Provides the main cut of meat, whose size and bone structure determine the roasting time.
- Butter
- Covers the meat to add moisture and fat, helping keep the surface from drying out in the oven.
- Kidney fat
- Adds extra richness and fat to the meat during roasting.
The step that matters
Covering the saddle with buttered paper. The buttered paper shields the surface from direct heat so it does not dry out or scorch before the inside is cooked through, while the butter adds moisture and fat.
“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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