Boiled Leg of Lamb with Caper Sauce

Probably one of the most classic of lamb dishes, although traditionally it would have been made with mutton, the meat of a sheep that is older than a year. Mutton has a stronger flavour than lamb, is deeper red in colour, and contains less fat but, sadly, it is now difficult to find. Lamb substitutes well, though.

Capers have been a favoured accompaniment to boiled mutton since medieval times, presumably when capers were imported (they are the flower buds of a Mediterranean plant).