402. ROASTED LEG OF RABBIT with BACON and MUSTARD SAUCE

Serves 4


4 rabbit legs
110g unsalted butter, softened
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh tarragon
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
grated rind of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
20 thin smoked bacon rashers, rind removed

For the mustard sauce
450ml whipping cream salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7. With a small sharp knife, remove the thigh bone from the rabbit leg by forming a little tunnel around the bone rather than coming through from the side. This is only slightly tricky and just takes a little time and trouble. Mix together the butter, garlic, tarragon, parsley, lemon and seasoning. Divide this between the four cavities and wrap each leg with five rashers of bacon, then place on a lightly buttered baking tray. Make sure that the ends of each rasher meet on the underside. Roast the legs in the oven for about 10 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes in a warm place.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Simply heat the cream with a tablespoon of the mustard and a little salt and pepper. Simmer for five minutes or so until slightly thickened. Keep warm.

To serve, cut three slices from the bulbous end of each leg and, being careful to collect the herby juices, arrange neatly on four plates. Sit the bony part upright alongside the slices. Add the second spoonful of mustard to the sauce, whisk, reheat and serve separately in a sauce-boat. A dish of plain boiled potatoes and a green salad would be a fitting accompaniment.


courtesy of: Roast Chicken and Other Stories: A Recipe Book, by Simon Hopkinson. Ebury Press, December 1996