In many ways, goat is responsible for this book’s existence. Some years ago, former River Cottage Canteen chef James Whetlor wrote a piece for Jon’s blog, including a goat recipe. When Jon began to look into collaborating with someone on a book, he approached James to see if he would be interested in writing the recipes. James passed but introduced Jon and me to each other. This was nearly four years ago now, but it started us on the journey to Well Seasoned. We owe you one, James!
A by-product of the goat dairy industry, kid falls into the same category as veal; the male young are generally of no use in the dairy industry and many are slaughtered soon after birth. Both kid and rose veal produced in Britain are superb products, and the more widely they are used the better.
James’s company, Cabrito, began by selling kid goat meat sourced from British dairy farms to London restaurants. Since then, they have grown to supply restaurants, butchers and catering suppliers nationwide. They now have a network of farms producing high-quality meat from a previously wasted resource.
James is a great chef and I have been lucky to eat some different and tasty kid recipes that he has cooked. A raw kid dish, similar to a tartare, called ‘kibbeh’ was a real revelation. The raw hand-chopped meat is combined with bulgar wheat, herbs, lemon juice, chilli and spices to give a clean, punchy dish. A whole kid cooked on an asado grill over an open fire was just perfect. I have baked the kidneys in pastry made with their own suet and barbecued butterflied shoulders, and the meat has always lived up to its promise. The flavour is distinctive but delicate, slightly sweet and nutty.
Here, we are baking a leg of kid in hay, an ancient technique that keeps the meat particularly moist and imparts a lovely perfume to the joint. Braised green lentils and a salsa verde or chimichurri sauce are my favourite accompaniments for the meat.
If you fancy trying out some more kid recipes, look out for James’s book, Goat, which has recently been published.
SERVES 6 AS A MAIN COURSE
3–4 tbsp olive oil
2–2.5kg leg of kid goat
Maldon sea salt, finely ground
freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper
80g unsalted butter, softened
NOTE: You will also need a 60cm square of muslin and a small bag of fresh sweet hay. The choice in a pet shop is quite staggering: meadow hay, herb hay, hay with camomile, hay with carrots, organic hay… and the list goes on! I settled for some local meadow hay.
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Choose a large roasting tin which will hold the leg with about 5cm of space all around. Half-fill the kitchen sink with cold water and add several large handfuls of hay. You need enough to completely encase the leg. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the roasting tin, season the meat generously and seal. Lay the muslin on a board and place the sealed leg on top. Spread the butter all over the top surface of the leg and season again. Wrap the muslin over to encase the leg. The muslin isn’t strictly necessary but it makes the leg much easier to clean up after cooking.
4. Drain the hay and squeeze out any excess water. Line the roasting tin with a layer of the hay and then place the leg into the tin. Add more hay, filling the gaps around the edges and laying a thick layer over the top. Cover the tin with foil and bake the kid for 75 minutes. Remove from the oven, take off the foil and allow to rest for 30–40 minutes before carving.