This lamb is so good. It marinates overnight in a beautiful blend of spices, cooks quickly on a cast iron, and then simmers in the stove for a while (an hour and a half at least) to develop more flavor and until it is so tender it melts in your mouth. So just be aware of the time constraints here. We didn’t serve this with rice, because everyone used the laffa bread to sop up the juices. The next day when we reheated it for dinner, we did put it over basmati rice, which was so yummy. We served this with Moroccan style carrots, but you could do anything that has a similar spice pallet. This recipe has a lot of parts: the marinade, the vinaigrette, and when you cook it you add onions and beef stock. I’ve tried to organize everything cohesively so here goes!

Lamb Tagine

• 2 lbs lamb meat (we got 3 pounds of shoulder meat, bone in, and then cut the meat off and cubed it)
• salt (to season the lamb meat)
• 2 onions, grated (I grated the with my food processor because it was so easy!)
• 1 quart beef stock
• 2 tbsp canola oil

Marinade

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 6 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp honey
• juice of 1 lemon

Combine spices and whisk together. Then, add your liquid ingredients and whisk together. Season the meat with salt, and then toss into marinade. Toss to coat, cover with wrap, and place in fridge overnight.

Vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil

On the stove, combine the mustard seeds, red wine vinegar, water, and orange juice and simmer until liquid is reduced by half and mustard seeds are tender. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and olive oil. Take the mustard seed mixture off the stove, and whisk it into the lemon juice and olive oil. Serve over the lamb (and use the leftovers in a salad!).

Cook time!

Take the lamb out of the marinade, saving any marinade left in the bowl. Since we don’t want to burn the spices, make sure there aren’t any big chunks on the meat. While you check the meat, heat the canola oil in a cast iron (or other oven proof pan) and preheat your oven to 350. When the oil is smoking slightly, remove from heat and add your meat in a single layer. Return the meat to the heat, and cook on all sides for about 12 minutes. Stir in the grated onions and cook for 2 minutes before adding your beef stock and bringing to a simmer. Put the skillet in the oven and cook until the lamb is tender. It took about an hour and a half for us, but may take longer! Serve with the vinaigrette.