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Spiced Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Beef

  • 2 ½ pounds beef chuck cut into 1 ½ inch cubes, patted dry
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

For the Aromatics and Spice

  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon ras el hanout or the substitute blend in the notes
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

For the Braise and Finish

  • 14 ounces canned chopped tomatoes one can, with juices
  • 2 ½ cups beef stock enough to come just below the top of the meat
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and cut in ½ inch dice
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
  • ½ preserved lemon rind only, rinsed and finely chopped, or the zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon juice
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • ⅓ cup cilantro chopped, to serve
  • ½ cup plain yogurt to serve

Instructions

Brown the Beef and Bloom the Spice

  • Pat the beef cubes very dry and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the ghee in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef hard in 3 batches, about 4 minutes each. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam. Set the beef aside.
  • Lower the heat, add the onion, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
  • Stir in the ras el hanout, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric and cook 45 seconds in the fat until fragrant. Blooming the spice in fat rather than liquid is what keeps it from tasting dusty.

Braise

  • Return the beef and any collected juices, add the tomatoes and beef stock, and bring to a bare simmer. The liquid should sit just below the top of the meat, not cover it.
  • Cover and cook at a slow simmer for 90 minutes, on low heat or in a 325F oven, until the beef is beginning to give.

Add the Sweet Potato in Two Stages

  • Stir in the ½ inch diced sweet potato, cover, and cook 15 minutes. These pieces are meant to break down and thicken the sauce.
  • Add the 1 inch cubes, cover, and cook another 25 to 30 minutes, until they are tender but still hold their shape and the small dice has dissolved into the sauce.
  • Stir in the chopped preserved lemon rind and the peas and cook 5 minutes more. Taste for salt, keeping in mind the preserved lemon is salty.
  • Serve in bowls, scattered with chopped cilantro, with a spoonful of cold plain yogurt on top and bread or couscous alongside.

Notes

  • Two sizes of sweet potato: the small dice dissolves and thickens the sauce, the large cubes stay whole. Adding them together gives you orange paste.
  • Keep the liquid low: stock to just below the top of the meat, not covering it. Covered beef makes soup, not a braise.
  • Chuck only: lean cuts have no collagen and go stringy.
  • Ras el hanout substitute: 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and paprika, ¼ teaspoon each allspice and turmeric, a pinch of cloves.
  • Preserved lemon: half a lemon, rind only, rinsed, added at the end. A whole one overwhelms the pot.
  • No tagine needed: a Dutch oven with a tight lid does the same job.
  • Storage: better on day two, fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months. Reheat gently so the cubes stay intact.