I have a desk that is the worst kind for me. The top holds my computer and keyboard, a light and a telephone. Unfortunately that leaves enough room for three piles of papers and files, three across, whose height could be a foot or three feet high.

In addition, there are two file cabinets under the desk and two cabinets hung on a shelf (one for files, the other still holding floppy disks!). If you close your eyes, you can see the amount of crap on this desk, to say nothing of the baskets that hold pictures I have not put on walls since I moved here, going on five years.

When it became necessary to find a cancelled check (do you even remember cancelled checks?), everything flew onto the floor. Did I clean it up right away? Not really.

Instead I noticed a dark green, faux leather photo album full of recipes. Some are yellowed with age and some I Scotch taped together 20 years ago or longer. I spent an hour going through that folder and found a recipe I’d made a few times and had starred it as a “keeper.”

It looks like it came from Gourmet (sadly gone) or Bon Appetit. I made it in a Le Creuset Dutch oven, but it does look like it would be great in a slow cooker (6 to 8 hours on slow) or superb in an Instant Pot. With the latter, you could braise the lamb on the saute button, remove it to a platter, saute the vegetables, then deglaze the pan with wine, add the lamb, tomatoes and carrots and either pressure cook or slow cook all done in one pot.

As I said, I do not know where the recipe came from, but I know it is delicious.

Lamb Stew with Rosemary and Sage

1/2 cup olive oil

4 large onions, chopped (about 5 and one-half cups)

1 bunch celery, chopped (about 4 cups)

5 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

5 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1/4 cup chopped garlic

1 3- to 4-pound leg of lamb, boned, trimmed, cut into 1 and one-half inch cubes*

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups good dry red wine

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices**

2 carrots, sliced

Water, if necessary

Heat one-quarter cup oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, four tablespoons each of the rosemary and sage, and the garlic. Saute until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Place flour in a pie dish. Heat remaining one-quarter cup oil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, coat lamb with flour, shaking off excess, and add to Dutch oven. Cover until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon transfer lamb to platter. Add wine to Dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits. Return lamb to Dutch oven. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and juices and boil 10 minutes. Stir in carrots and onions mixture. Add enough water to cover meat and vegetables.

Cover Dutch oven tightly. Place in oven and cook until lamb is tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking in oven until lamb is very tender and sauce darkens slightly, about 15 minutes. (Can be made a day or two earlier. Cool slightly, then cover and chill. Bring to a simmer before continuing.)

Stir remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary and remaining sage into stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve.

*Nicely ask your butcher to bone and trim the lamb.

**I now only use whole tomatoes and puree it myself.