Spiced Lamb Tagine (Dutch Oven)

Spiced lamb tagine fusion is infused with aromatic spices that create a well-balanced oven stew. You will love how incredibly flavorful and hearty this dinner is. Whole chunks of browned lamb make this rich stew a delicious blend of North African spices with a bit of fusion. We make this flavorful dish in our oven-safe cast iron Dutch oven.

Typically, a tagine is a North African stew made in a specialized tagine clay dish. I don’t have one, so improvisation is the mother of all invention, as they say. I used my cast iron oven-safe Dutch oven. This stew has to be made in the oven to prevent your lamb stew meat from falling apart. We want the rich meat to be still intact.

I am not going to lie. This stew does take some work, but it’s totally worth the extra effort to make. The flavorful mix of spices is extensive but works beautifully to create a hearty dish that your family will undoubtedly ask for seconds!

If you love a good lamb stew, try this one.

Let’s gather the spices and set to work making our lamb tagine.

The stew will come together quickly, so preparing ahead is critical to success. That means picking the spices needed, grating the fresh ginger, and dicing the fresh garlic.

Put your Dutch oven on the stovetop and set it to high. We want to sear the lamb meat first. Working in batches to not boil it from too much steam and liquid from the meat. Since we use one kilogram or 2.2lbs of stew meat cubed, that will equal three batches.

Add a few tablespoons of oil to the Dutch oven and sear the meat for four minutes. Be sure to continue stirring it as it sears so that all sides are sealed. Remove each batch from the Dutch oven and keep it close by to work back into the stew.

After you’ve worked the meat, you are ready to start on the aromatic stew base. Be sure to lower the heat to medium. You will be adding a little more oil to the pot and sauteeing the garlic and onions. After about a minute, add in the ginger and tomato paste and then the spices. You will continue to stir the mixture constantly so it doesn’t burn. After cooking the spice mixture with the garlic and onion for two more minutes, you can add the stock.

To this, you can add potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, and seared lamb meat. Now bring the whole stew to a boil. At this point, it will look liquidy. Don’t worry. It’s going to cook down in the oven a bit. When it’s cooked for fifteen minutes, you can cover it to put it in the oven. The oven should be at a moderate 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stew the mixture in the oven for one and three-quarter hours. Stir once so the potatoes are submerged, as they may be sticking out at first.

After cooking, remove from the oven and stir in the lemon zest. Serve a big bowlful of the rich, flavorful lamb tagine to your family with a bread roll to sop up the delicious juices.

Ingredients:

Lamb Stew Meat: Typically, lamb shoulder is used for a good tagine. It has more fat to it and breaks down to a full-bodied stew. I used a prepacked cubed lamb stew meat to save on having to cut up a whole lamb shoulder. If you cut your own meat, cut even one-inch pieces.

Onion: This stew was made with red onion as I prefer the sweetness it infuses into recipes. Red onions are slightly less intense than their yellow-cooking onion cousin.

Fresh Garlic: This bulb offers some great flavor in this hearty stew. Be sure to cook it properly to avoid burning it, which will result in an unpleasant flavor.

Spices: This lamb tagine has an extensive list of spices, which includes cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, coriander, cloves, cayenne pepper, ginger, and cumin! This long list works in tandem with each other to make a profoundly aromatic stew.

Potatoes: Using white potatoes is excellent in a stew. This recipe uses bigger chunks of potato that are cut in a size that matches the chunks of lamb meat.

Carrot: This root vegetable adds nutrients and a pleasant pop of color to this intensely flavored lamb tagine.

Chickpeas: Often used in North African cuisine, although it is more commonly referred to as chana or gram. These legumes add a lot of protein and healthy fats to the dish. I like them here for the textural addition they bring to the stew.

Lemon Zest: Although lemon zest is one of the last additions to this stew, it brings a pleasant brightness to lighten the richness of the stew.

Substitutions for the Lamb tagine.

Lamb: If you aren’t using precut lamb stew meat or lamb shoulder, you can get away with a leg of lamb. This will mean you have to cut the meat from the bone and cube it yourself. However, it’s the best option when the other two aren’t readily available.

Onion: If you don’t have access to onions, go ahead and be experimental by using another member of the allium family, like leeks. In fact, the white bulb portion of leek is very similar in flavor to that of onions.

Fresh garlic: Jarred garlic pieces are also acceptable to use in this recipe but are often less potent. You may want to increase the amount used.

Spices: If you don’t have all the spices, don’t panic; there is so much flavor from the richness of the lamb that using even a portion of these spices without another will still create a full-bodied dish. I recommend that you at least include the cinnamon, cloves, and coriander.

Potatoes: White potatoes aren’t everyone’s liking, so feel free to substitute this with a sweet potato.

Expert Tips and Serving Suggestions:

When you make a hearty, flavorful meal like this lamb tagine, you are guaranteed that it will fill everyone up all on its own. However, some may appreciate a crusty roll to soak up the juices.

You can also serve a scoop of this over a bed of rice or with a side of couscous if you prefer.

Leftover stew can be reheated quickly enough for lunch the next day. Store the tagine in the fridge covered for up to three days after cooking. I don’t recommend freezing this stew as the potatoes do not freeze well.