When I conjure up images of lamb and potatoes I have to confess that my imagination really veers towards hot pots, stews and a plain old Sunday roast. I would say Indian food certainly isn’t my top thought. However, after trying this amazing recipe last weekend, which was easy to follow, produced great results for a decent cost, and was utterly delicious, I have had to rethink this world of lamb and potatoes!

Being the butcher!

The official Hindi title (I believe) is Aloo gosht, which is translated as Delhi-style lamb cooked with potatoes. I think it should have a far more glamorous name to do it justice!

To get the dish ready, we had to go to the butcher to get some boned lamb shoulder meat. I then prepared and cubed this myself. We also bought some maris piper potatoes and some chllis, tomatoes, onions and some garlic (we had all of the spices already), which meant that the only cost implication was really the lamb. For this reason alone, I believe this really can be a family-friendly dish as, when looked at per person, the dish dramatically reduces in price.

The cooking process itself was a pleasurable one. You get to use your usual mix of Indian spices in a long cooking process so you really can smell your kitchen being transported to India. It also helps that, after the prep, the recipe is relatively easy!

Sizzling away!

To begin with I simply had to heat up some vegetable oil, pop in the veg to brown it off, and then add the lamb. Of course you do need to keep everything moving to avoid burning and getting food stuck to the bottom of the pan whilst popping in the cumin and coriander seeds, but my lovely wife was on hand to remind me of this!

As everything is browned slightly and looking and smelling fantastic you have to wait to see the sauce that the ingredients creates thicken up. You then add in a large jug of water and pop in the halved potatoes. Once the potatoes are in, you simply pop the lid on your pan (leaving it slightly ajar) and then sit back and relax for an hour and 10 minutes.

We decided to pair the dish with a garlic naan and some tarka daal and the result was so spectacular that instead of having a couple of nights’ worth of food ready, we ended up wolfing the lot down in one sitting! Oops!

Amazing aromas!

Whilst on a lazy night I would certainly still head over to Shalimar in Harrogate for home cooked pleasures, this was a real delight of a dish and one which really left you with a great sense of satisfaction and a taste to remember!