Roast mouflon with prune sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1,000 g mouflon meat
• 1 liter of broth (I boiled bones from the leg)
• 1 pack of soup vegetables (roughly diced)
• 2 onions
• 10 juniper berries, crushed
• 10 peppercorns, crushed or ground
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 20 prunes
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• 1 tbsp fruit vinegar
• 500 ml buttermilk
• 100 ml cream
• 250 ml red wine
• 75 g smoked bacon
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, also ground
• 1 tsp mugwort
• 4 cl gin
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg or mace
• oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 2 hours 30 minutes

Mix spices (juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt), fruit vinegar, buttermilk, and chopped vegetables to make a marinade. Marinate the meat in this marinade for 1-2 days, turning frequently. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry with kitchen paper, and season with salt. Rinse the marinated vegetables in a sieve and let them drain. Soak the prunes in a little gin and a portion of red wine. In a roasting pan, fry the bacon slices with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, then sear the meat pieces on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside. In the same roasting pan, fry the vegetables and onions until golden brown, stir, and deglaze with a little red wine. Return the meat to the roasting pan and fill with the stock and red wine. It should be 3/4 full. Add the spices from the marinade, along with the caraway seeds and mugwort, and top up with a little buttermilk (I used about half). The rest of the buttermilk isn’t needed. Cover and braise in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F). Make sure to add the evaporated liquid frequently. Depending on the consistency, the roast will be tender after 1-1.5 hours. You can also use the slow-cooking method (takes longer). Remove from the stock and keep warm. Strain the gravy liquid through a sieve, then add cream. If you like it a little thicker, add cornstarch. Add the prunes with the soaking liquid and simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, add the nutmeg or mace, let it steep for a few minutes, and season the gravy again. Cut the meat into slices about 1.5 cm thick and serve with the gravy and prunes.