Clementine Paddleford (and lamb stew)

I was just reading a biography of Clementine Paddleford, who was one of the first food writers in America to collect a large following (mostly 1930s-1950s, I guess). It's interspersed with recipes, and my attention was caught by this for lamb stew (condensed by me):

Generously season with salt/pepper 2 pounds of lamb shoulder cut into chunks, toss with flour and brown in hot oil. Pour on 3/4 cup of boiling water to nearly cover, and simmer for an hour and a half. Add a turnip, carrot, and onion, all died, and cook for 3-4 minutes, Ad a largely diced potato and cook for 6 more minutes.

Since I'm not a particularly skilled cook, my initial reaction was, Hey, I could do this. But then I thought, Hm, it's really a different approach than I'd expect, even someone unskilled like me. I'd have expected to brown the lamb, then add the onion, then a splash of wine, then probably stock instead of water, plus herbs/spices. Then I'd cut the vegetables in larger chunks and add them earlier, so that they'd cook for about a half-hour.

I guess that we expect more complexity now? Or what do you think?

This is the book, if you're curious:
http://www.penguin.com/book/hometown-...