Veal Roasts

I know I’m being extravagant when the guy at the wine store asks me if he should gift wrap the half bottle I’m buying for lunch and when the butcher tells me the roast I want is a “specialty item.” When you’re buying your veal roast, bring a lot of cash, because with the exception of shoulder roasts, the top cuts of veal—those best for roasting—are expensive. Whole veal is cut in cross sections and is butchered in much the same way as lamb. Unlike legs of lamb, veal legs are too large to roast, but you can roast a whole top round of veal—a perfectly lean, dome-shaped piece weighing 3 to 5 pounds [1.3 to 2.3 kg]—a whole saddle, or a rack. Of the three choices, the round is the most manageable; it can be found smaller and it requires no trimming. It is also perfectly tender. Veal saddles and racks are prepared in the same way as lamb saddles and racks, except that the cooking times are longer, not just because the cuts are bigger, but because like all white meats they are cooked to 137°F[58°C]. (The meat thermometer should read 133°F[56°C] because the temperature will increase as the meat rests.)