Ingredients 

1 leg of mutton, boned and rolled
Fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
2 litres rendered-down mutton fat
Butter
Lime juice

Method

Season the mutton with the fleur de sel and black pepper. Cover in melted lamb fat and confit in oven at 100ºC for eight hours until meat melts to touch. Remove from the fat and roll in clingfilm to compact meat. Chill.

Slice meat into 225g portions. Remove clingfilm, then cover with lamb stock obtained from under the cooking fat after it has cooled. Reheat at 150ºC for 15 minutes.

When the mutton is ready to serve, strain the sauce and finish with butter and a little lime juice.

Serve with hot buttered beans, fondant potatoes and fried julienne of spring greens and celeriac.

by Richard Guest

Photo © Sam Bailey