Spasia Dinkovski, Mystic Börek

For me, Balkan kjufte represent the comfort we find in togetherness. A noisy house on a Saturday afternoon, with the whole family talking over each other while one person stands in the kitchen, rolling each ball of meat – a blend of pork, beef, onion, garlic and spices – and frying them off to rich, salty perfection. With crunchy chips, a creamy tomato sauce that packs a little heat and cold feta, I serve mine as a platter and pile it all on top of each other – an affair in sharing and hands grabbing from all sides. As per tradition, there’s also a constant conversation over how many kjuftes we have all eaten. mysticborek.com

Kjufte platter with chips, feta, creamy tomato and garlic sauce and pickles

SERVES 8| PREP 45 MINS PLUS OVERNIGHT MARINATING | COOK 1 HR 30 MINS | MORE EFFORT

KJUFTE

500g pork mince

500g beef mince (at least 12% fat)

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

150g fine breadcrumbs

2 eggs

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1½ tbsp vegeta seasoning (you can find this in most large supermarkets and international food shops but, if you can’t find it near you, replace it with salt)

1 tsp baking powder

150ml vegetable oil

50g plain flour

CREAMY TOMATO AND GARLIC SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil

100g tomato purée

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

50g plain flour

large pinch of dried chilli flakes

CHIPS

1kg Cyprus potatoes (or use Maris Piper) vegetable oil, for deep-frying sea salt flakes and dried oregano, for seasoning

TO SERVE

200g feta thinly sliced pickles (you can use gherkins, pickled onions, pickled peppers, pickled jalapeños or any other pickle of your choice)

1 The night before serving, combine both minces, the onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, seasoning, baking powder and 1 tsp of ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands for a couple of minutes to break up the mince and combine the ingredients. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

2 The next day, start by making the sauce. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Once hot, cook the tomato purée for 3 mins, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk in the flour, 1 tbsp at a time, until incorporated and a very stiff paste forms. Repeat with 400ml of cold water, whisking in a little at a time until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Stir in the chilli flakes and season well. Set aside.

3 For the chips, slice the potatoes into 1cm-thick chips and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fill a deep pan a third full with oil and heat to 140C or until a small chunk of bread dropped in browns within 8 seconds. Fry the chips in batches for 10 mins per batch, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.

4 Remove the meat mixture from the fridge and weigh out into roughly 24 balls. Working with one at a time, pinch each ball in the palm of your hand to bring the meat together, then roll into an oblong shape, patting each side a little flat as you go. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Tip the flour into a wide, shallow bowl and gently roll each kjufte in it, shaking off any excess until lightly coated. Fry in batches for 8 mins per batch, turning often, and removing to a plate using a slotted spoon when crispy. When all the kjufte are cooked, turn up the chip oil to 180C. Fry the chips for a final 4 mins, then drain on kitchen paper. Season with sea salt and dried oregano.

5 Reheat the tomato sauce over a low heat, whisking until warmed through. Pour half the sauce over a large serving platter, smoothing it out with a spatula. Arrange half the chips on top, then crumble over half the feta and repeat with the rest of the chips and feta. Arrange the kjufte on top with dollops of the tomato sauce and pickles. Enjoy as is, or stuff into pittas or eat with a green leafy salad.

PER SERVING 683 kcals | fat 36G saturates 11.4G | carbs 50G | sugars 4.8G fibre 5.3G | protein 37G | salt 2.2G