Best slow cooker lamb tagine

Lamb tagine is a Moroccan dish which is traditionally cooked in a clay pot called a tagine over hot coals, but this recipe doesn’t require any fancy cookware; only a frypan and a slow-cooker. And rather than slaving over a fire, the beauty of slow-cooking is that you can set it and pretty much forget about it until it’s time to serve. You’ll still get all the delicious flavours of the traditional dish with its hearty lamb and rich tomato base, but without the effort involved in making it the old-fashioned way. 

This dish is perfect served with white rice or couscous, and if you’re a fan you can sprinkle with some fresh coriander. 

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 500g lamb shoulder, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g can of chickpeas 
• 200g dried apricots
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger (or paste equivalent)
• 250g sweet potatoes
• 1 400g can diced tomatoes
• 200ml chicken stock

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a medium frypan over a medium heat, browning the lamb. Transfer lamb to a plate. Add onion, garlic, ginger and carrots and fry until the carrots begin to brown. Replace the lamb, then stir in all spices and cinnamon stick, and add the chopped tomatoes, apricots and chickpeas.

2. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.

3. Transfer to the slow cooker, and cook for 6-8 hours on medium.

4. Add sweet potatoes approximately two hours before serving. If you add them at the beginning they will be too soft.

5. Serve with rice or couscous.