This moroccan lamb tagine recipe is one of my favourite Winter dishes. Every time the temperature starts to drop, I turn to this meal to hug me from the inside. It’s a meal which is family friendly, however can be transformed into the hero dish for a slightly more sophisticated dinner party. Instead of dishing it up straight from the casserole pan, I transfer the finished goods into my shiny red Tagine which guarantees the WOW factor. I then jazz up the natural yoghurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, drop of olive oil, finely chopped coriander & red chilli. To add a final touch of luxury top the lamb with golden almond flakes.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 1.2kg Lamb, diced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 2 Shallots, chopped
• 1 Red Long Chilli, chopped
• 20g Coriander stalks, from bunch coriander (reserve leaves for garnish)
• 4 tsp Ras El Hanout*
• 400g Carrots, cut on a diagonal
• 200g Onions, sliced
• 8 x 50g Sml Waxy Potatoes, peeled & halved
• 400g Sweet Potatoes, cut into chunks
• 450g Vine Ripened Tomatoes, sliced
• 75g Dried Apricots
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1.2lt Chicken Stock
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1 Lemon, zested
• Natural Yoghurt
• Couscous

Method

1. Place the garlic cloves, shallots, red chilli & coriander stalks in a mini food processor & grind until you have a paste like consistency. You can either add a splash of water or olive oil to help this come along. Season & set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat and add the diced lamb. Cook until browned then remove using a slotted spoon. Set the lamb aside.
3. Add the paste to the casserole dish & gently fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the Ras El Hanout spice & combine well. Cook for 1 min or until fragrant. Toss in the carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apricots, turning over until fully coated with the spice & paste mix.
4. Return the lamb to the pan, add the honey, lemon zest, bay leaves & stock to just cover the lamb & vegetables. Season. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Leave uncovered for 1.5-2hrs, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve lamb with fluffy couscous, wedge of lemon & a dollop of natural yoghurt.

*Ras El Hanout is a Moroccan spice mix, available from most supermarkets & delis. You can use this for multiple moroccan style casseroles. It makes a great spice rub for barbequed meats too.