The Pigneti

Cut the lamb, or the muttonCut the meat into evenly sized pieces, so it cooks evenly. Trim away any excessively fatty parts, without completely stripping the meat of its flavor. The pieces should be large enough to remain juicy after a long stay in the oven.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into similar sized pieces. Divide the canned whole peeled tomatoes Cut the onions in half and remove the seeds, then slice them. Regular cuts promote even cooking: the potatoes should be fork-tender and the onions should almost melt into the sauce.

Reduce the pecorino fresh diced. Coarsely slice the Italian sausages or the soppressata Lucanian, keeping recognizable pieces during cooking. Chop the chili peppers; measure them together with the salt evenly, so that the spicy component is distributed throughout the liquid and flavors the meat, potatoes, and tomato.

Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the earthenware pot, then add the meat, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, pecorino, Italian sausage or soppressata And chili peppersAdd the salt and mix thoroughly, without mashing the potatoes. The seasoning should coat the ingredients before adding the water.

Cover the contents of the pot with water, leaving the main ingredients uncovered. The water will form the cooking liquid along with the tomato and meat juices; don't overdo it, or the result will be too diluted. Make sure that the mixture is well distributed in the container.

Close the pot with the lid, making sure it holds well, and insert it into the preheated ovenCook for about two hours over medium heat. The dish is ready when the meat is tender, the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, and the sauce is flavorful and well-combined.