Aloo Chop - very spicy mince on crispy mashed potato

Name: Aloo Chop - very spicy mince on crispy mashed potato
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British,Indian
Ingredients: for the crispy baked mashed potato; 500g potatoes; 25g butter; Good pinch of salt; Good pinch freshly ground black pepper; Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 1 tablespoon dried parsley; 1 egg, beaten; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; for the spicy mince; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon ghee; 2 large onions, peeled and sliced; 2 inches of freshly grated ginger; 8 large garlic cloves, peeled and crusged; 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped; 2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped; 450g minced lamb (see variations); 2 teaspoons lemon juice; Handful of fresh basil leaves (see variations); 3 green cardamom pods, shells removed; 3 brown cardamom pods, shells removed; 4 clove buds; A sliver of cinnamon bark; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds; 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika powder; 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder; 1 tablespoon of you r favourite chilli sauce; 5 tablespoons of red wine

Crispy baked mashed potato with very spicy mince.

This recipe is my variation on the classic Aloo Chop recipe that usually uses minced lamb.

It stared as a way to use up the odd singe bramblebee farm Aberdeen Angus burger, and has developed into a family staple.

I usually use a Bramblebee Farm burger and make the weight up to 300g with other meat from the freezer.

Rather than mess around filling the potato balls as with the classic recipe, I just spread a layer of mashed potato on an oven tray, bake it until the potato is getting golden and crispy, then top with the mince add pop for a final 10 minutes to reheat the meat.

Aloo Chop - very spicy mince on crispy mashed potato

Servings:	Serves 4
Calories per serving:	709
Ready in:	2 hours, 15 minutes
Prep. time:	1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook time:	45 minutes
Difficulty:
Recipe author:	Chef
First published:	1st July 2018

Best recipe review Wierd, but good! 4.4/5 Strange idea and even looks odd but it was really good. Paul R Smith

Ingredients

Printable 🖨 shopping 🛒 list & 👩‍🍳 method for this recipe

for the crispy baked mashed potato
500g potatoes
25g butter
Good pinch of salt
Good pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
for the spicy mince
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ghee
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 inches of freshly grated ginger
8 large garlic cloves, peeled and crusged
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
450g minced lamb (see variations)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Handful of fresh basil leaves (see variations)
3 green cardamom pods, shells removed
3 brown cardamom pods, shells removed
4 clove buds
A sliver of cinnamon bark
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Mise en place

Peel the potatoes, boil for 25 minutes, drain, add butter and salt. Mash and and allow to cool
Preheat the oven to 220° C (425° F - gas 7), [fan oven 200° C & reduce cooking time by 10 mins per hour]

Meat added to the crispy mashed potatoes
Crisped after 15 minutes in the oven
Raw mash, ready to cook - the extra portion is for my breakfast!

Method

for the baked mashed potatoes
Once the potatoes have cooled, sprinkle the mash with parsley and nutmeg and mix in the beaten egg. it will be quite liquid at this stage.
If it's too wet, add a tablespoon of ground yellow cornmeal.
Grease an oven tray with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
Spread the mashed potato in a thin layer over the tray
If you're not cooking immediately, place in a cool place until you are ready
for the spicy mince
Add all of the dried spices to a coffee grinder and grind to a powder
Add the oil and ghee and cook the onion slices in a wok for 5 minutes
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a further few minutes
Stir in the meat and fry for a few minutes
Add the fresh chillies, lemon juice, basil leaves or parsley and chilli sauce and mix really well.
The mixture does not need any more cooking at this stage and the potato mix and the meat can be prepared ahead of time if needed.
final assembly and cooking
Place the tray of mashed potato in the oven while it preheats to 220° C (425° F - gas 7), [fan oven 200° C & reduce cooking time by 10 mins per hour]
Once the oven had reached temperature, pop the tray in the middle of the oven and cook until it is crispy and has a golden colour - obout 15 minutes.
Spread the meat evenly over the mash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and pop back in the oven for 15 minutes
Slice up and serve.

Serving suggestions

Serve with cold yoghurt and a green vegetable

Variations

1 usually use 1 Bramblebee Farm 6 oz Aberdeen Angus burger & 300 g mixed minced / pork / beef / lamb

Out of season, I use another tablespoon of dried parsley, instead of the fresh basil leaves.

Chef's notes

We usually pop the tray of mashed potato in the oven while it gets to temperature and judge the remaining mashed potato cooking time by eye.