This is one of my favourite dinners to make when I have heaps of potatoes to use up, or I'm just craving a really filling cozy dinner. It's almost similar to a bowl of nachos in a way, and I've used the same recipe for the cheese sauce as I do in my nacho recipe! The recipe consists of several components: fries, cheese sauce, a vegan mince, a garlicky tomato mix (inspired by a classic tomato salsa but lacks a few typical salsa-ingredients), and an avocado mash. I've split the recipe into stages for each component to make it easier to read, and I recommend starting from the top and making your way through them all, creating the rest of the components while the fries are baking in the oven. The recipe serves 2 people.
Fries:
Ingredients: 800g potatoes
A drizzle of olive oil
1tsp fine table salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp granulated sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Slice your potatoes into fry-shaped sticks, boil until almost fork tender, approximately 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your fries. Drain the water and toss the fries in olive oil. Spread onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake until the fries are all golden and crispy. This will take about 30 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and toss with the salt, pepper and sugar. Set aside while you prepare the rest of your toppings.
Garlicy tomato mix:
(Like a salsa but lacking a lot of your common ingredients like onions and coriander)
125g cherry tomatoes
1/2tsp red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic
2tsp lemon juice
salt + pepper to taste
1tsp olive oil
½ spring onion
Method:
Finely chop cherry tomatoes, spring onion and garlic, and add to a bowl. Add lemon juice, chili flakes, olive oil and salt+pepper to taste.
Cheese sauce:
340ml unsweetened soy milk
2.5tbsp all purpose flour
3tbsp vegan butter
100g shredded vegan cheese
2tbsp jalapeño brine
1/2tsp smoked paprika
salt to taste
Method:
Add butter to a pot and melt it. Add the flour and whisk to form a roux/a smooth "batter". Gradually, and over low heat, add the soy milk while whisking to prevent any lumps from forming. Once the sauce has started to simmer and thicken, add the jalapeño brine, paprika and cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Finally, season with salt to taste. You can add more milk as you go if you find the sauce is too thick.
Vegan mince:
200g vegan minced meat (use your favourite)
salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp kecap manis
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
a few tbsp oil (depending on how much fat is in your mince)
Method:
Add the mince to an oiled pan on medium heat. Add the spices and kecap manis, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you find it looks a bit dry you can also add a splash of water to bind it together. The amount of water/oil necessary will depend on the type of mince you use and how much water and oil is in it already. Cook until it's nicely browned and slightly crisped.
Avocado mash
1 avocado
2 cloves garlic
2tsp lime juice
salt to taste
Method:
Finely chop the garlic, mash the avocado, and add the garlic, lime juice and salt. Mix until well combined. Once all components are done all that is left is to transfer your fries to a bowl, load them up and enjoy!
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