Lamb tagine with dates & sweet potatoes

• olive oil↗ 6 tbsp
• onions↗4 4

  thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
• boneless lamb↗2kg 2kg

  shoulder, cut into 5cm chunks

• ground cumin↗ 4 tsp
• paprika 2 tsp

  and ground coriander

• cinnamon sticks↗2 2
• passata↗850ml 850ml
• sweet potato↗700g 700g

  cut into chunks

• pitted date↗350g 350g
• blanched almond↗100g 100g

  toasted

• good handful coriander

  roughly chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a large, deep pan. Add the onions, then gently fry until softened, about 5 mins. Stir in the ginger, add the meat in batches, then fry on all sides until lightly coloured. Return all the meat to the pan, stir in the spices and cinnamon sticks, then cook for 1 min.

2. 2

   Add the passata and 800ml water, then bring to the boil, stirring. Season well, then cover and simmer for 1½ hrs, until the lamb is tender.

3. 3

   Add the sweet potatoes, stir well, cover again, then cook for 20 mins or until the potatoes are just tender. Stir in the dates and heat through for 5 mins. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. To serve, spoon the tagine into a serving dish and scatter with the almonds and coriander.