Spiced Mince and Chips

by Meliz Berg, featured in Dinner Tonight

Published by Ebury

Introduction

Crunchy chips, spiced crispy mince, garlic yoghurt and a sweet tomato sauce all come together in my super simple take on a popular Turkish dish, Çökertme Kebabı. I typically use beef mince instead of the traditional small pieces of marinated fried beef (or veal), and oven-bake thin, crispy chips instead of deep-frying shoestring fries to enable a much easier, homemade, fakeaway-friendly version.

As featured in

Dinner Tonight

Image of Meliz Berg's Spiced Mince and Chips — Photo by Luke J Albert

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

FOR THE CHIPS

4 tablespoons olive oil
750 grams Cyprus or Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
2 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

FOR THE GARLIC YOGHURT

150 grams thick natural yogurt
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
pinch of sea salt flakes (or to taste)

FOR THE SPICED MINCE

2 tablespoons olive oil
500 grams minced beef
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
2 teaspoons tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)
1 teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper/ Turkish red pepper flakes, plus extra to garnish)
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
10 grams fresh flatleaf parsley (finely chopped)

FOR THE TOMATO SOS (SAUCE)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)
200 grams finely chopped fresh or tinned tomatoes
1 teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper/ Turkish red pepper flakes)
pinch of sea salt flakes

FOR THE CHIPS

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Cyprus or Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

FOR THE GARLIC YOGHURT

5½ ounces thick natural yogurt
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
pinch of sea salt flakes (or to taste)

FOR THE SPICED MINCE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
2 teaspoons tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)
1 teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper/ Turkish red pepper flakes, plus extra to garnish)
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
10 grams fresh italian parsley (finely chopped)

FOR THE TOMATO SOS (SAUCE)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste)
7 ounces finely chopped fresh or tinned tomatoes
1 teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper/ Turkish red pepper flakes)
pinch of sea salt flakes

Method

Spiced Mince and Chips is a guest recipe by Meliz Berg so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/450°F/gas mark 8.
For the chips, brush a large, shallow, non-stick baking tray with 2 tbsp of the 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.
In a small bowl, mix together all of the garlic yoghurt ingredients, cover and pop in the fridge.
Wash the potatoes, pat them dry and cut into 5mm (¼in) 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.
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.
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.
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 tatlı biber salçası, pul biber, paprika, sea salt flakes and coarse 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).
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 tatlı biber salçası, 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.
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.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/450°F/gas mark 8.
For the chips, brush a large, shallow, non-stick baking tray with 2 tbsp of the 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.
In a small bowl, mix together all of the garlic yoghurt ingredients, cover and pop in the fridge.
Wash the potatoes, pat them dry and cut into 5mm (¼in) width chips. Pat them dry again, then place into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the cornstarch, 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.
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.
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.
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 tatlı biber salçası, pul biber, paprika, sea salt flakes and coarse 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).
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 tatlı biber salçası, 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.
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.