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Braised Leg of Lamb

4 servings

Ingredients

• 2.25 kg Leg of lamb
• Water (a little)
• Wheat beer (a little)
• Salt (a little)
• Cloves (a little)
• Peppercorns (a little)
• 3 pcs Bay leaves
• Onions (a little)
• 1 tbsp Flour
• Butter (a little)
• Lemon slices (a little)
• Preserved or fresh cucumbers (a little)
• 1 large cup Vinegar
• Pearl onions (a little)

Instructions

1. After resting for 2 to 3 days and being well-pounded, place a 1.5 to 3 kg leg in a mixture of half water, half wheat beer, and salt.
2. Skim off any foam, add cloves, peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and a few whole onions, and cook slowly for 2 hours.
3. Drain the broth, sprinkle the leg with 1 tablespoon of flour, add butter underneath, and brown the meat on both sides, turning often to prevent burning.
4. Pour in some of the defatted broth, strained through a sieve.
5. Add lemon slices without seeds, a few preserved, multi-cut gherkins or fresh cucumbers with 1 large cup of vinegar and a handful of pearl onions, and let the leg braise until completely tender, about 3 hours in total.
6. Serve with a little sauce and offer the remaining sauce with gherkins and onions separately.
7. For a simpler method, braise the leg of lamb in a Dutch oven with 1 to 2 bay leaves and a little allspice as seasoning.

Modernized from a treasured 19th-century German cookbook.