Lamb Tagine

Slow-braised with apricots and warm spice, finished with cinnamon-toasted almonds.

Serves 6

Toss the lamb with 2 tsp (5.6 g) of the salt in a large bowl. Hold at room temperature for an hour, or refrigerate up to a day.
Bring the stock to a boil in a small pot, pull it off the heat, drop in the apricots, and leave them to soften for at least 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Warm the oil over medium heat in a tagine, Dutch oven, or heavy pot with a tight lid. Brown the lamb in batches with space around each piece, roughly 10 minutes per batch, moving finished pieces to a plate.
Pour off the rendered fat, leaving a thin film in the pot. Add the onions and ¼ tsp (0.7 g) salt and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, fresh ginger, one cinnamon stick, saffron, ground ginger, turmeric, pepper, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Return the lamb with its juices, then add the apricots, stock, and half the cilantro. Seal with foil and the lid (foil is unnecessary in a tagine) and cook in the oven 2½ to 3 hours, turning the meat now and then, until tender. Correct the seasoning.
While it cooks, melt the butter with the second cinnamon stick in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and ¼ tsp (0.7 g) salt and toast to golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Transfer the lamb and its juices to a platter. Scatter over the almonds along with the skillet butter, then the scallions, parsley, and remaining cilantro. Finish with lemon juice. Serve with flatbread or couscous.

Macros

Energy	520 kcal
Protein	30 g
Fat	33 g
Carbohydrate	25 g (fiber 3 g)
Sodium	550 mg

Per serving, estimated. The largest source of error is the bone-to-meat ratio, assumed at 65 percent edible yield, and how aggressively you drain the rendered fat. Sodium assumes Diamond Crystal and unsalted stock.