Irish Lambpot

This is Irish farmhouse cooking stripped to its bones: lamb shoulder cut into chunks, simmered until it starts to give, then root vegetables piled in to finish together.

Turnip, cabbage, carrots, celery, and potatoes all go in at the same stage and cook in the lamb broth, which by that point has real body. Marjoram goes in at the very end, just before serving, so it stays bright rather than muddying into the background.

One pot. Straightforward technique. The kind of supper that makes sense on a cold evening.

Kitchen Tips

• The lamb gets a 20-minute head start in the pot before the vegetables go in. This ensures the meat is tender and the broth has already developed flavor by the time the vegetables join.
• Cut the vegetables to a similar size so they finish cooking at the same time.
• Season the broth again at the end after the marjoram goes in. Root vegetables absorb a lot of salt during cooking.