Hardbuckler Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable, canola, safflower, or grapeseed
• 1.5 pounds cremini mushrooms, quartered
• Kosher salt
• 2.5 pounds boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch chunks
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1.5 teaspoons dried
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound turnip or rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about {=amount3/v} cups)
• 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates, about 15 minutes. Adjust the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mushrooms brown, about 5 minutes more. Scrape the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle of the oven.
3. In a bowl, toss the lamb with 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the flour to coat. In the now-empty Dutch oven, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the lamb so that the pieces are close together in a single layer but not touching (do not crowd pan) and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook, undisturbed, until second side is deeply browned, 3 to 4 minutes more; transfer the lamb to a bowl. Repeat to brown the remaining lamb (adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching); transfer to the bowl with the first batch.
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot. Return the pot to medium heat, add the onion, thyme, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the broth, adjust the heat to medium-high, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen and dissolve any remaining browned bits. Add the cooked lamb with its accumulated juices, stir to combine, cover, and bake for 40 minutes. Add the turnip pieces, submerge them in the liquid as best you can, replace the cover, and continue to bake for 30 minutes more. Add the potatoes and mushrooms, submerge them in the liquid as best you can, replace the cover, and continue to bake until the lamb and all the vegetables are very tender, about 1¼ hours more. If the stew is more liquidy than you'd like, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to help thicken it.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove the bay leaves, add the vinegar and most of the parsley, and stir to combine. Serve, sprinkling each serving with some of the remaining parsley.