Spice Up Your Dinner: Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Couscous & Roasted Vegetables!

lamb shanks

🥗Healthier: chicken thighs

💰Cheaper: pork shanks

Chicken thighs reduce fat while pork shanks are more affordable.

saffron

🥗Healthier: turmeric

💰Cheaper: yellow food coloring

Turmeric adds color and flavor without the high cost of saffron.

Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper, rubbing them to ensure they're evenly coated.

Sear the lamb shanks in a pan until they have a nice color on each side, about a couple of minutes on each side, then set aside.

Chop the onion and garlic, then sauté them in the same pan until golden and fragrant.

Add the chopped fresh tomatoes to the pan and cook them down with the onion and garlic.

Stir in the tomato paste and mix well.

Add the spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground clove, and chili powder. Cook for a minute or two to release their oils.

Return the lamb shanks to the pan, ensuring they fit, and pour in the chicken stock until everything is combined.

Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let it simmer.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) for the roasted vegetables.

In a roasting pan, combine red onion, garlic cloves, carrot, parsnips, and sweet potato. Drizzle with olive oil and season with ground cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until tender on the inside and caramelized on the outside.

In a medium pan, bring chicken stock to a boil for the couscous.

Once boiling, pour in the couscous, stir quickly, then turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to absorb the stock.

After 5 minutes, add roughly chopped toasted almonds and fresh coriander to the couscous, along with a pinch of salt. Mix well.

To serve, lay down a bed of fluffy couscous, top with roasted vegetables, and place the lamb shank on top. Spoon over some of the Moroccan spice sauce.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary