Braised lamb shoulder

I did this as a traditional braise, using the usual ingredients of onion, carrot, celery, stock, wine, aromatics, and meat, plus seasoning. I also added some nice mushrooms this time.  I've been doing braises and stews on and off pretty much my entire life, but it was only when I read Michael Pollan's incredible book Cooked, in which he spends a large amount of space learning the finer points of braising with a master chef, that I came to understand exactly why it works and how it should be done. I recommend this, or really any of his books. They're not cookbooks, but they are books about food, health, good eating, and sustainability.

Juliette went to the butcher, and got an entire lamb shoulder, with some of the fat and the bone removed. This was a total of about a kilo of meat, about 2.2 pounds. I cut it up into what I would call bite-sized portions, and then give them a good coating of seasoned flour. After that, I did all the rest of my prep, what you see here.

I put a nice browning on the lamb, using a blend of butter and olive oil which I find works best for things like this. It gives a nice combination of flavor with a higher smoking point than you would normally get with butter. Once all the lamb is browned, then it's time to put a little olive oil back in and start to cook the onions and get all the veggies cooked down nice and nearly soft, and then add the aromatics, stock, wine, and mushrooms. I pan sautéed the mushrooms separately in a bit of wine with garlic and salt, then added the mushroom and sauce into the braise. The potatoes went in last - - I didn't feel the need to pre-cook them as they were going to be spending two hours submerged in hot liquid. On goes the lid, oven at 160C, and two hours later, voilà! This is nicely accompanied by just about any moderately sturdy or heavier red wine, but if you're on a budget like we are, my best recommendation is for Cote de Rhône. Here in Paris a perfectly acceptable bottle runs maybe 8€ and a decent Saint Joseph or Gigondas can be had under 20€. Serve as is,

or with some good boule de levain (sourdough).