The word tagine (tajine, الطاجين) is both the name of a North African stew, and the conical earthenware pot in which it is usually cooked. The use of ceramics in North Africa was the result of Roman influence, and these dishes have been enjoyed for thousands of years.
Tagine pots are unique in that they trap steam and return the condensed liquid to the dish, enabling chefs to make tender foods with minimal added water, which is ideal in areas where water is scarce. For today’s recipe, I’ve provided instructions to create this dish with a dutch oven or deep skillet; so long as the lid has a very tight seal, you should be able to closely mimic the original dish – some folks like to cover their pots with tin foil before adding the lid, to ensure a completely tight seal.
There are countless spice options when preparing a tagine, but for this particular recipe I modeled my approach after a traditional Mrouzia, a tagine that is often served during Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice). This Muslim celebration honors Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command, only to be provided a sacrificial goat at the last minute instead. During this celebration, a lamb (or sometimes goat) is ritually sacrificed and shared among family, neighbors, and the needy; in many settings, they prepare Mrouzia using the sacrificed lamb.
Mrouzia is served with toasted (blanched) almonds, and typically flavored with saffron and Ras el Hanout, a popular North African spice mixture. Commercial versions of Ras el Hanout exist, but it’s not too challenging to put together your own fresh spice blend (my recipe is below); you’ll likely have most of these spices in your pantry already, except perhaps for mace. While potatoes aren’t a typical accompaniment to Mrouzia, I find that they add a hefty balance to the sweet/salty mixture of the dish; steamed basmati rice (or couscous, if you’re not gluten-averse) also works well as a starch.
Lamb Tagine with Potatoes and Toasted Almonds (Gluten-free, Paleo, Primal, Whole30)
3 to 4 lbs lamb shoulder or boneless beef chuck roast or short ribs, cut into 2” chunks
1 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, more to taste
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, grated (about ¾ cup grated)
1 tbsp Ras el Hanout (see below)
2 pinches saffron (about 15 strands), crushed between the fingers
1 tbsp honey
2” ginger, minced (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
1 stick cinnamon
1-2 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole raw almonds
1 cup golden raisins
1 lb golden potatoes, peeled and cut into 2” lengths
chopped fresh cilantro to garnish
Ras el Hanout (yields 3 tbsp):
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground mace
cayenne pepper to taste (1 pinch to 1/2 tsp)
1. Season the lamb pieces with the salt and pepper, then set aside. Warm the ghee and olive oil in a dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat, then add the lamb; brown until darkened and crisp on each side, about 3 minutes per side, in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding.
2. Remove the lamb and reduce heat to medium; add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, then stir in the Ras el Hanout, saffron, honey, ginger, and cinnamon stick. Saute until aromatic, about 1 minute, then return the lamb and its juices to the pot and add enough chicken stock to cover the lamb 2/3 of the way up, about 1-2 cups (I would err on the side of less liquid than more). Bring to a simmer, tightly cover, and reduce heat to low; gently simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
3. As the meat is simmering, prepare the almonds and raisins. To prepare the almonds, bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, then add the almonds and blanch for 1 minute; drain and cool the almonds, then slip them out of their skins. In a skillet, warm a little olive oil over medium heat, then add the almonds and pan-fry until they just start to darken, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels; this step can be done at any time. To prepare the raisins, cover them with lukewarm water for 1 hour, about 30 minutes after you have started simmering the lamb.
4. Once the lamb is just tender, drain the raisins and add them to the pot, along with the potatoes. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste; serve scattered with cilantro and the almonds.
** For Whole30, omit the honey and increase the amount of raisins to 1 1/4 cup.
Note: In the year leading up to my new cookbook’s release, I will be regularly releasing these recipes to 1) maintain a continuing conversation with my readership and 2) give visitors to this site an opportunity to test and provide feedback before editing. For more information on this new approach, read my post here.
The Domestic Man 
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make it with lamb of course!
That spice blend recipe looks killer.
Thanks Russ!
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Agree to Susan…so good…difficult to hold back…feel like just having it…hope this was right in front of me….
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This looks excellent – will try soon. It also reminds me of a recipe we make that I think would be right up your alley. Have you ever made the Lebanese stew Loobie? As we make it, it’s basically just lamb necks stewed in tomatoes for many hours, with green beans added for the last hour or two. Anyway, it seems like an ancestral table sort of thing, and the broth is amazingly rich. Also, lamb necks are so darn cheap.
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And actually, now I think about it – is there any reason I couldn’t make just about any lamb stew or braise – including this one, with lamb necks? As long as I cook it long enough?
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Mmmmmmm!!! This looks amazing!
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I want this SO BAD! Killin’ me with your posts lately Russ! I might just have to make it. I have almost everything already. Wish I had an actual Tagine, just for the full experience.
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Marisa, glad you like it! I’ve got a ton of sweet new recipes in the queue, too :) Not to mention the secret book recipes that I’m holding close!
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Hi Russ! This looks amazing!
I think I’ll try making it on the Instant Pot – do you think everything would work the same, except for the cooking time for the meat?
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Hi Dinis, glad you like the recipe – yep, you can totally make it in the Instant Pot. I would follow the recipe as directed, but then cook it on the “Meat” setting for 40 minutes, and let it naturally depressurize. Definitely be conservative with the amount of liquid you use, since none will evaporate in the cooking process – then add the raisins and potatoes and simmer on the low “Saute” setting. Best of luck!
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As always, your recipes looks amazing. One question though. I don’t believe honey is Whole30 compliant, is it?
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Hi Susan, good catch, thanks! I’ll add adjustments for Whole30 below the recipe.
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Hey – I made it (using lamb necks) and it was great. I appreciated that the flavor was a bit more subtle than previous tagine recipes I’ve tried. Sometimes they can be rather in your face – “THIS IS MOROCCAN!” -whereas this was just a nice, well-balanced stew with a distinctive but not overpowering flavor. I wonder if that’s because it’s less sweet than many recipes. Or maybe because the many elements in the Ras-el-Hanout balance the cinnamon better than other recipes I’ve tried before.
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Hi Anna, happy to hear that it worked with lamb necks! I apologize for not responding earlier but yes, I think necks would work well in this recipe, as you found out :) In reference to your earlier comment, I have tried Loobie, I like it – the warmth that comes from gelatinous braising cuts like necks just can’t be beat. When developing this tagine, I was looking for an equal combination of sweet, savory, and exotic; so I ended up cutting down the honey and fruit, and increasing the saffron by 1 pinch, and it worked out well.
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I made this using a beef chuck roast. It turned out really great, and it was even better the next day.
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I just made this in my new tagine pot, but I allowed the liquid to reduce so it was not so soupy…it was outstanding!
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I made this. It was really yum. I used lamb shanks instead of shoulder though.
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Sophie, glad you liked it!
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Thank you for this recipe!! It tasted great. I made it with lamb shanks in my instant pot which turned out good but probably wasn’t the best match because the meat ended up shredded after stirring and cooking the potatoes. Looking forward to making it again with the cuts of meat suggested in the recipe!
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