Harissa Lamb Tacos

I came across this recipe recently in the July edition of delicious magazine, in the Shortcut Suppers section. It certainly was quick to make however whether the portions sizes are enough for an evening meal is up for debate. The original recipe called for 250g of lamb mince but I decided to put in the whole 400g pack and put any leftovers in the freezer. It was all polished off by the two of us pretty swiftly though, together with 3 tacos each rather than the 2 listed in the original recipe, and we both agreed it would have been nice to have something extra on the side. I would say this definitely falls into the light supper category rather than proper dinner.

Having said all that, though, these were really nice. The jar of harissa (which I've never used before) had three chillis on the side so I was worried it would too spicy but the flavour turned out to be quite understated with hardly any heat. The addition of the lime juice and the mint yoghurt finished off the tacos beautifully. I'll definitely be adding this one to my list of quick mid-week dinners.

Harissa Lamb Tacos

(adapted from delicious Magazine July 2011)

1 tbsp olive oil

400g good quality lamb mince

1 red onion, chopped

1 heaped tbsp Belazu Rose Harissa or similar, or more to taste

1 lime, cut into quarters

6 taco shells

small bunch of fresh mint, chopped

200g greek-style natural yoghurt

1 little gem lettuce, shredded

1) Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the lamb mince and season well. Fry, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes over a medium-high heat.

2) Stir in the onion and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring, until the lamb is nicely browned and the onion is softened. Stir through the harissa and cook for a couple more minutes, then pour over 350ml water and simmer for 10 minutes until sticky. Squeeze over 2 of the lime quarters.

3) Meanwhile, heat the taco shells according to the pack instructions and stir the chopped mint into the yoghurt.

4) Spoon the harissa lamb into the warmed taco shells and top with shredded lettuce. Serve with the mint yoghurt and remaining lime wedges.

Serves 2 - 3