Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes

Working time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 40 minutes or more
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2½ to 3 pounds beef stew meat, such as shoulder, chuck, or short ribs of beef (with some bone), cut into 1¼-inch chunks
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼  cup salad oil
• ½ teaspoons sharp paprika
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1½ onion, finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• ¼  cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley and green coriander)
• 1  pound sweet potatoes

Direction:

1. Remove and discard the excess fat from the beef. 
2. Place the beef in the casserole with the turmeric, salt, pepper, and oil. 
3. Fry, turning the meat often to lightly brown all sides. 
4. Cover the casserole tightly and cook 15 minutes, without lifting the cover. 
5. The meat will cook in its own juices, drawn out by the salt over low heat. 
6. Stir in the remaining spices, chopped onion, herbs, and very little water. 
7. Simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours over gentle heat, until the meat is very tender (almost falling off the bones). 
8. Add water whenever necessary to keep the meat from scorching.
9. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the cauliflower in salted water until nearly tender. 
10. Drain and set aside until needed.
11. Peel the tomatoes, halve them crosswise and squeeze out the seeds, then cut into chunks. 
12. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into ½-inch-thick slices.
13. Preheat the oven to 350°. 
14. Transfer the meat and gravy to the serving dish. 
15. Place the sweet potatoes over the meat and the tomatoes on top of sweet potatoes. 
16. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are tender. 
17. Remove the foil cover, raise the oven heat to 450°, and transfer the dish to the upper shelf of the oven. 
18. Bake until there is a brown spotted crust over the tomatoes. (If there is a great deal of gravy in the pan, pour off into a small saucepan and reduce over high heat to 1 cup before returning it to the dish.) 
19. Taste for seasoning and serve at once.