How to make Joe Wicks’ Moroccan-style lamb and butternut squash

“This is a proper crowd-pleaser, with unbelievable levels of flavour from the flaked almonds and crumbled feta cheese,” says Joe Wicks, whose new cookbook is all about protein. “It’s all these little extra touches that really make this a standout dish for me. Friends and family will be well impressed if you make the effort with this.”

Moroccan-style lamb and butternut squash

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

12 lamb chops, fat trimmed
500g peeled and diced butternut squash, cut into 2cm pieces
2tbsp olive oil
2tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander
1tsp dried chilli flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the couscous:
2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g couscous
500ml boiling-hot chicken stock (made with 1 stock cube)
Handful of mint leaves
Handful of coriander leaves

To finish:
30g feta cheese, crumbled
15g flaked almonds, toasted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6) and line your largest baking tray with baking paper (or two smaller trays if your largest can’t fit everything in a single layer).

Put the lamb chops, squash, olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and chilli flakes into a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then massage the spices into the whole lot with clean hands.

Spread out the spiced lamb and squash evenly on the large tray and roast in the oven for 26 to 30 minutes until the lamb is cooked and the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the couscous base. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for four to five minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the onion deeply caramelises and turns golden. Keep an eye on it, stirring occasionally: you may need to reduce the heat to avoid the onion burning. Stir in the garlic in the last two to three minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

At the same time, make the couscous. Put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Stir in the caramelised onion and garlic mix. Thinly slice most of the mint and coriander leaves and stir in (setting aside some whole leaves to garnish).

Spread the couscous out on a large, warm serving platter and place the lamb and squash on top of the couscous. Drizzle the delicious juices in the roasting tray over the whole lot.

Sprinkle with the crumbled feta, toasted almonds and the remaining herbs and serve.

Protein In 15 by Joe Wicks is published in hardback by LEAP, priced £22. Photography Mike English Photography. Available December 4