What can I cook with this Lamb?

I was at the grocery store the other day marveling at the increased price of ground turkey and the poor selection of steaks when I came across a lamb roast that seemed surprisingly affordable.  I don’t usually cook with lamb, as a matter of fact I can probably count the times I’ve prepared it with the fingers on one hand, but I can’t pass up a good deal on meat and an opportunity to experiment.  At home I looked up various recipes, and came across this one for Lamb Tagine… apparently a North African dish.  I only ate one meal “on the economy” in my short tour to Africa but I remember it was fantastic so I figure I’ll give this a try.  I was extremely skeptical when the lamb simmered for an hour and a half it still felt (with a wooden spoon) like tough poor grade stew meat sometimes is.  I was dead wrong… the first bite melted in my mouth.  It was the perfect amount of spice, smoke, sweet, and tender so I have to share it with you.

As anyone who has seen me cook knows, I am almost compulsive about NOT following recipes to the letter.  This one was the same but not in a way I think it made much difference… I used 3 tablespoons of curry powder to substitute for all the individual spices that were listed on my bottle (Simply Organic curry powder) plus a little extra paprika and coriander seeds.  I did not use the saffron because I don’t like the taste, and added about 1/4 teaspoon of Allspice based on a comment made on the recipe page.  I didn’t need the corn starch to thicken, the sauce was plenty thick without it.  Not sure if you consider this a variation but I keep a tube of ginger paste (from the produce section) in the fridge vs. using fresh ground ginger because when I buy it I always throw most of it away.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!