As a child, I went on a lamb boycott because I thought lambs were just too cute to eat. My mum continued to serve lamb for dinner but she told me it was beef, so I’d no problems eating that! I’m actually glad of my mum’s trickery in this regard because, as a grown-up, lamb is one of my favourite meats to cook.

Lamb is a good source of quality protein, iron and zinc, and it’s really versatile. This lamb tagine is such a laid-back dish to cook: you don’t even need to brown the meat. The end result is delicious with the sweet honey and spices. A great meal to make for friends.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

– 1kg shoulder of lamb, trimmed and diced into 3cm pieces
– 1 tsp ground coriander
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp turmeric
– 2 tbsp ground almonds
– 2 tbsp honey
– a handful of sultanas
– 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 2 onions, finely chopped
– 5 garlic cloves, crushed
– a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
– a handful of coriander leaves
– a handful of flaked almonds
– couscous, to serve

Method:

1. Place the lamb, spices, almonds, honey, sultanas and tomatoes in a large lidded casserole. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the cooked onions to the lamb mixture in the casserole and stir well.
4. Cover the casserole and place in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the lamb is tender.
5. Ladle the cooked tagine into warmed serving bowls. Sprinkle over the coriander and almonds. Serve with couscous.

Derval has held the title of World Champion in sprint hurdles and competed for Ireland in three Olympic Games. She also picked up four European Championship medals and holds the Irish record for sprint hurdles.
Now that Derval is retired from athletics and is a busy young mum, her focus is on fitting exercise and healthy, pleasurable eating into a hectic schedule. The Fit Foodie is full of simple, delicious and totally doable recipes such as Laid-Back Lamb Tagine, Mediterranean Salmon and Spaghetti, and Butternut and Bean Stew. Derval shares smart and inspiring advice on how to get organised so that good food and exercise are a seamless part of your life,

As both a foodie and fitness fanatic she is passionate about experimenting with healthy, nutritious recipes, which she shares through her blog (dervalorourke.blogspot.com), on Twitter (@DervalORourke) and now in this book.

To order your copy of The Fit Foodie click HERE.