Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Veg

Ingredients

• 600 g lamb mince
• 1 egg
• 30 g breadcrumbs
• couscous or flatbreads, to serve
• 2 courgettes, cut into half moons
• 2 red peppers, deseeded, cut into chunks
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 15g coriander, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Tip the lamb mince into a large bowl with the cooled red lentils, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika, crushed garlic, egg and breadcrumbs. The spices will bloom in the oven heat as the meatballs roast — fragrant, not dusty — but make sure the garlic is properly crushed so it disperses evenly and doesn't sit in raw pockets that turn bitter.
2. Season generously with salt and pepper — lamb mince needs more than you think — and work it together with your hands until evenly combined and slightly tacky. Pinch off a small piece, fry it in a dry pan for a minute, and taste: this is your one chance to adjust the seasoning before the meatballs are rolled.
3. Roll into 16 even meatballs, roughly the size of a walnut, and set aside on a plate.
4. Toss the courgettes and peppers with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt in a large roasting tin. Spread them out in a single layer — don't crowd them, or they'll steam instead of catching colour. Roast for 10 minutes, until just starting to soften and char at the edges.
5. Meanwhile, whisk the chopped tomatoes with the harissa and 100 ml water in a jug until smooth and rust-red. The water is doing real work here — it lets the tomatoes break down into a proper sauce in the oven rather than sitting tinny and tight around the meatballs.
6. Pull the tin from the oven. Nestle the meatballs in among the veg, leaving small gaps so the heat can circulate, then pour the harissa tomato sauce over everything.
7. Return to the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through, the sauce is bubbling thickly around the edges and the peppers have collapsed into it. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt now — the harissa carries heat but not always enough seasoning.
8. Scatter the chopped coriander and torn mint over the bubbling tin, drizzle the tahini in ribbons across the meatballs, and bring it to the table with warm flatbreads or couscous alongside for scooping.