Meliz Berg's spiced mince and chips
Forget ordering in this weekend, because Meliz Berg is in the kitchen with her ultimate Turkish fakeaway! Think crunchy chips, spiced crispy mince, garlic yoghurt and a sweet tomato sauce - which all come together to create a recipe that all the family will love.
Meliz Berg’s Spiced Mince and Chips
Recipe taken from Meliz’s new book ‘Dinner Tonight’Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Chips:4 tbsp olive oil750g (1lb 10oz) Cyprus or Maris Piper or King Edward Potatoes2tbsp cornflour1tsp sea salt flakesFor the garlic yoghurt:150g (5 ½ oz) thick natural yoghurt1tsp finely grated garlic A pinch of sea salt flakes, or a taste
For the spiced mince:2 tbsp olive oil 500g (1lb 2oz) beef mince1 tsp finely grated garlic2 tsp tatli biber salçasi (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper/ Turkish red pepper flakes) + extra to garnish1 tsp paprika ½ tsp sea salt flakes ½ tsp coarse black pepper flakes 10g fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
For the tomato sos (sauce):1 tsp olive oil1 tbsp tatli biber salçasi (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)200g (7oz) finely chopped tomatoes1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo peppe r/ Turkish red pepper flakes)A pinch of sea salt flakes
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/450°F/gas mark 8.
2. For the chips, brush a large, shallow, non-stick baking tray with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oven is hot, place the tray on the middle rack to heat up for 15 minutes while you prepare the chips and garlic yoghurt.
3. In a small bowl, mix together all of the garlic yoghurt ingredients, cover and pop in the fridge.
4. Wash the potatoes, pat them dry and cut into 5mm (¼ in) width chips. Pat them dry again, then place into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the cornflour, and stir and shake the bowl gently so the potatoes are fully coated. Add the remaining olive oil to the bowl, gently shake and stir again so that the potatoes are fully coated in the oil. Sprinkle over the sea salt, and shake the bowl again.
5. Take the baking tray out of the oven and evenly distribute the raw, coated chips into the hot oil, ensuring they are all laying flat and not touching each other, this will ensure that they crisp up on all sides. Return the tray to the oven and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through once the undersides have crisped up. Place a heatproof dish at the bottom of the oven to keep the spiced mince warm once cooked.
6. While the chips cook, prepare the spiced mince and tomato sos (sauce) -
To make the spiced mince, add the olive oil to a large frying pan and place on the hob over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mince, breaking it up thoroughly with the back of a wooden spoon, without stirring - allow the mince to crisp up on the underside for 3-4 minutes before you stir and repeat.
7. Once the mince has browned and is crispy all over, add the garlic to the pan and stir well for no more than a minute until it releases its aroma, then add the tatli biber salçasi, pul biber, paprika, sea salt flakes and coarse ground black pepper to the pan, stir well, again, then carefully add the mince to the preheated dish from the oven. Cover with foil and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes while you prepare the tomato sauce (the chips should only need cooking for another 5 minutes at this point too).
8. Use the same pan you used for the spiced mince to make the tomato sauce. Add the olive oil to the pan and place it on the hob over a medium heat. Once hot, add the tatli biber salçasi, breaking it up into the olive oil with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir through the chopped tomatoes, the pul biber, and sea salt flakes and coarse black pepper, and once the sauce starts bubbling vigorously, remove the pan from the heat.
9. To assemble, place the crunchy fries onto a large platter, then spoon over most of the garlic yoghurt, followed by the spiced mince, then top with the tomato sauce and a few more dollops of the remaining garlic yoghurt. Garnish with the chopped parsley and a sprinkling of pul biber, and serve with a salad, or alternatively, load everything into Fluffy Bidda/Bazlama Flatbreads.