Tagine de Viande aux Pommes de Terre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy clay tagine with flame diffuser or wide 30cm braising pot
• •Small bowl for blooming saffron
• •Wide serving platter if not serving from the tagine

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the meat

   Put the meat in a wide bowl with the grated onion, garlic, olive oil, smen if using, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt, and bloomed saffron with its water. Turn everything with your hands until the meat is stained gold and the onion clings to it. Let it sit 20 minutes while you cut the potatoes, or up to overnight in the fridge if tomorrow is the easier day.

   Real saffron threads need warm water to open. The powdered yellow stuff gives color without perfume, and perfume is why we use saffron.
2. 2

   Start the braise

   Set a heavy tagine base, flame diffuser, or wide braising pot over medium-low heat. Add the meat and all its onion-spice mixture, then cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning the pieces until the onion softens and the spices smell warm. Pour in 350ml water, tuck in the tied herbs, cover, and lower the heat until the pot murmurs gently.

   A tagine wants a low flame. If the liquid jumps hard, the meat tightens and the onion sauce separates before it can become silky.
3. 3

   Braise until tender

   Cook the meat for 60 to 75 minutes, turning it once or twice and adding a splash of water only if the pot looks dry. You're looking for meat that gives when pressed with a spoon but is not falling apart yet. The sauce should be golden, glossy, and beginning to thicken around the edges.

4. 4

   Add the potatoes

   Arrange the potato wedges over and around the meat, wide side down when you can. Spoon some sauce over them, cover again, and cook 25 to 35 minutes more. Don't stir. Shake the pot gently from the handles if you need to move things, because whole potatoes keep the sauce clear and beautiful.

5. 5

   Finish with olives

   When the potatoes are tender all the way through, add the preserved lemon strips and olives. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, just long enough for the sauce to tighten and the lemon to perfume the pot. Taste before adding more salt, because preserved lemon and olives have already brought their own.

6. 6

   Serve from center

   Remove the tied herbs and scatter a little chopped parsley and coriander over the top. Bring the tagine to the table in its dish or spoon it into a warm communal platter, with the meat in the center, potatoes around it, olives and preserved lemon visible. Eat with khobz, pulling the sauce toward you with a piece of bread.

Chef Tips

• •Choose waxy potatoes that hold their shape. Floury potatoes can collapse into the sauce before the meat has finished speaking.
• •Preserved lemon is not a decoration here. Use the cured rind, rinse it if very salty, and add it late so its perfume stays bright.
• •This tagine doesn't need ras el hanout in my kitchen. If your family uses a pinch, buy it from a merchant who'll tell you what's in it. Avec le ras el hanout, on ne triche pas, with ras el hanout, you don't cheat.
• •The scale is in the eyes, la balance est dans les yeux. If your onions are very juicy, use less water at the start. If the pot dries early, add a small splash and keep the flame low.
• •Beef takes longer than lamb. Give it the time it asks for, and add the potatoes only when the meat has begun to soften.

Advance Preparation

• •Season the meat up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Bring it close to room temperature before cooking so the braise starts evenly.
• •The tagine can be cooked through the meat-braising stage a day ahead. Reheat gently, then add the potatoes, olives, and preserved lemon the day you serve it.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge. Reheat over low heat with a spoonful of water, shaking the pot gently so the potatoes stay whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 395g)