This is the coming together of two fantastically comforting dishes, Moroccan Lamb Tagine and Lamb Hotpot. Both high up on the list for dishes for a cold night. Both dishes we associate with long slow cooking. Whilst this is true for both dishes, I’ve brought them together in a dish that I absolutely love. This is a great one if you have friends to feed. It sits in the oven for an hour and you can entertain your guests then whip this out and serve it up. This is my Moroccan Lamb Hotpot.
Lamb is, in my opinion, much under-used. Over the past few years, sales have been declining and we have been exporting more of out British lamb. This Moroccan Lamb Hotpot uses the natural sweetness of lamb and accentuates it. On reading the ingredient list you might feel that there are quite a few sweet elements. I promise you the sweetness is not too much at all. The garlic, harissa and tomato puree as well as the meaty chickpeas keep this on the savoury side.
I love the flavours of North Africa and the smell of this dish in the oven instantly takes my mind to Morocco and my tummy starts to rumble. There is something about the aromatic spices and the mixture of fruit and meat that for me takes me to a very happy place. Another dish I make using the same flavours is my Moroccan Lamb Meatballs.
For this all you need is 1 pan, 1 oven safe dish, 1 knife and 1 chopping board.
- In the pan you want to brown the Lamb then remove to a plate.
- Throw in the onion and carrot and soften.
- Add the Spices, Garlic, Harissa & Tomato Puree
- Remove from the heat and add the Apricots, Honey, Chickpeas & Stock
- Into a dish and top with slices of Sweet Potato
- Brush with a little oil salt and pepper and cook for an hour.
It really is a simple make that brings out a deep stew with rich flavours and a gloriously crisp top.
I don’t have a mandolin so I slice my sweet potato by hand. This is perfectly possible and fine. Make sure the knife is good and sharp. I like to make them super thin around 2-3 mm. When you are placing them onto you want to overlap them and really cram them on top. They will shrink with the heat of the oven so when you think you have covered it squeeze a few more on. I brush the top with a little olive oil to ensure maximum crispiness.
To serve this I scatter with chopped fresh coriander and parsley as well as pomegranate seeds and smashed roasted pistachios. They provide colour and freshness and pops of flavour from those pomegranate seeds. This dish is sweet, savoury, rich and light, with soft yielding meat and apricots as well as crisp sweet potatoes and crunchy nuts. If you wanted to make this ahead you can cook for 50 minutes let it cool and then chill in the fridge. When you want to reaheat cover with foil and bake in an oven for 30 minutes until the stew is bubbling, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes.
I love this Moroccan Lamb Hotpot and hope you do too. If you try it let me know how you did in the comments below. You can share your pictures on social media with me. Tag me on Instagram @cubbinthekitchen or use the #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Moroccan Lamb Hotpot
Ingredients
- 250 grams Diced Lamb
- 1 Medium Sweet Potato
- 1 Onion
- 1 Carrot
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Harissa
- 0.5 tsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 240 grams Chickpeas 1 Can
- 8 Dried Apricots Quartered
- 200 ml Stock Lamb,Vegetable or Chicken
- Fresh Coriander,Parsley,Pistachios & Pomegranate Seeds to Serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan (220°C Conventional)
- Peel the Carrot, Onion & Sweet Potato.Finely chop the Carrot and Onion into small dice.Slice fine discs of Sweet potato about 2mm wide.Place the Sweet Poato discs in cold water to prevent them discolouring.
- Heat some oil in a pan and brown the Lamb for about 3-4 mins.Take the Lamb out of the pan onto a plate and tip in the Onion and Carrot and soften for 5 minutes.
- Grate in the Garlic, add the Harissa, Cinnamon, Cumin & Tomato Puree and stir. Cook for 2-3 mins.Remove from the heat and stir in the Lamb, Drained Chickpeas, Honey, Apricots & Stock.
- Pour into a dish and top with the slices of Sweet Potato.Brush the top with a little Olive Oil and sprinkle of Salt & Pepper.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Serve with Chopped Coriander, Parsley and Pistachios as well as a handful of Pomegranate Seeds.
Pingback: Maple Mustard Traybake • CUBBin the Kitchen