bone cut short and scraped clean, nearly to the lean meat, are called French chops.
The leg is sold whole for boiling or roasting. The forequarter may be boned, stuffed, rolled, and roasted, but is more often used for broth, stew, or fricassee.
For a saddle of mutton the loin is removed whole before splitting the creature. Some of the bones are removed and the flank ends are rolled, fastened with wooden skewers, and securely tied to keep skewers in place.
Good quality mutton should be fine-grained and of bright pink color; the fat white, hard, and flaky. If the outside skin comes off easily, mutton is sure to be good. Lamb chops may be easily distinguished from mutton chops by the red color of bone. As lamb grows older, blood recedes from bones; therefore in mutton the bone is white. In leg of lamb the bone at joint is serrated, while in leg of mutton the bone at joint is smooth and rounded. Good mutton contains a larger proportion of fat than good beef. Poor mutton is often told by the relatively small proportion of fat and lean as compared to bone.
Lamb is usually preferred well done; mutton is often cooked rare.
Broiled Lamb or Mutton Chops
Wipe chops, remove superfluous fat, and place in a broiler greased with some of mutton fat. In loin chops, flank may be rolled and fastened with a small wooden skewer. Follow directions for Broiling Beefsteak on page 196.
Pan-broiled Chops
Chops for pan broiling should have flank and most of fat removed. Wipe chops and put in hissing hot frying-pan.
Turn as soon as under surface is seared, and sear other side. Turn often, using knife and fork that the surface may not be pierced, as would be liable if fork alone were used. Cook six minutes if liked rare, eight to ten minutes if liked well done. Let stand around edge of frying-pan to brown the outside fat. When half cooked, sprinkle with salt. Drain on brown paper, put on hot platter, and spread with butter or serve with Tomato or Soubise Sauce.
