Lamb and Potatoes with Moroccan Spices

After a very traditional Sunday lunch yesterday at the Hop Pole Inn, I fancy something spicy tonight. This is a Moroccan influenced mince dish that can be cooked on the hob, or in a tagine. It tastes better if it spends a night in the fridge to allow the flavours to develop and freezes well too. 

Ingredients

1 teasp cumin seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1x 400g lean lamb or beef mince

Thumb sized piece finely chopped ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 teasp paprika

1 teasp ground cinnamon

1 teasp ground coriander

1 tbsp harissa

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small dice

A handful coarsely chopped apricots or prunes

1 preserved lemon, chopped, optional

650g waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 small bunch of coriander, chopped, a few leaves left whole to serve

100ml beef or lamb stock.

Method

Heat a large non-stick wok or pan, tip in the cumin seeds and toast for a few seconds. Remove. Add the oil to the pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes until starting just golden. Add the mince, ginger and garlic, and cook, breaking up the mince and until browned. Drain any excess fat from the pan.

Stir in the tomatoes, toasted cumin, remaining spices and harissa – add more spice if you like an extra kick. Add the peppers, potatoes, three-quarters of the chopped coriander and the stock. Cover and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, then stir in the remaining chopped coriander.  I like to serve it in a bowl with some flatbread and a minty yoghurt dip on the side.