Previously in this series:
Live coverage: Lamb for Eight Persons Four Times

Here’s what we’re working with, direct from page 1 of The Supper of the Lamb:

Let me begin without ceremony.

LAMB FOR EIGHT PERSONS FOUR TIMES

In addition to one iron pot, two sharp knives, and four heads of lettuce, you will need the following:

FOR THE WHOLE
1 leg of lamb (The largest the market will provide. If you are no good with a kitchen saw, have the chops and the shank cut through. Do not, however, let the butcher cut it up. If he does, you will lose eight servings and half the fun.)

FOR THE PARTS
I (A)
Olive oil (olive oil)
Garlic (fresh)
Onions, carrots, mushrooms, and parsley
Salt, pepper (freshly ground), bay leaf, marjoram
Stock (any kind but ham; water only in desperation)
Wine (dry red–domestic or imported–as decent as possible)
Broad noodles (or spaetzle, potatoes, rice, or toast)

I (B)
Olive oil (again)
Garlic
Onions
Salt, pepper (keep the mill handy), and thyme (judiciously). Oregano is also possible, but it is a little too emphatic when you get to III.
Wine (dry white–even French Vermouth–but not Sherry. Save that. Or drink it while you cook.)

II
Spinach (a lot)
Cheese (grated: Parmesan or Cheddar; or perhaps Feta–anything with a little sharpness and snap)
Mayonnaise (not dietetic and not sweet)
Sherry (only a drop, but Spanish)
Bread (homemade; two loaves) and butter (or margarine, if you must)

III
Oil (peanut oil, if you have any; otherwise, olive)
3 eggs
Onions
Shredded cabbage (bean sprouts, if you have money to burn)
Sherry (if you have any left)
Stock (as before, but only a little)
Rice (cooked, but not precooked)
Soy sauce (domestic only in desperation)

IV
Onions, carrots, celery, turnip
Oil, fat, or butter
Barley (or chick-peas or dried beans–or all three)
Water
Salt, pepper, and parsley (rosemary?)
(Macaroni and shredded cabbage are also possible. A couple of tomatoes give a nice color.)

If prepared correctly, it is all delicious.

Everything in parens is Capon’s, not mine. But what do you know, it’s exactly what I might write. Except the part about margarine — that’s not permissible under any circumstances. This is a product of 1969, after all, and fortunately Capon roundly condemns the oleo elsewhere in the book.

Next posts in the series:
1L/8X4: Prep for Night 1
1L/8X4 II(a): Night I Report
1L/8X4 II(b): The Freakin’ Spaetzle
1L/8X4 III: Night II Report
1L/8X4 IV: Night III Report
1L/8X4 V: Night IV Report, aka “Original Thinking Is Lonely”