Lamb and Beef Koftes with Roasted Veggies

Okay, shall we do something savoury? I think this is a perfect meal for the start of autumn, with lovely rich flavours and a lighter side.

I know that I tend to skew a lot towards the Mexican food angle, and this recipe actually came about because I was wanting to cook something with mince and wasn't really feeling the idea of chilli con carne. Then all of a sudden, a little lightbulb lit above my head: koftes! Of course!

This is an incredibly simple recipe and completely different from the flavours that I normally cook with. This will be going on my standard rotation of meals, because it was a taste sensation! Feel free to serve it however you like – in flatbread with veggies, or with rice, or like I have, with some roasted veg and couscous.

makes 6 koftes

Ingredients for the Koftes

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• Small bunch of parsley
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 0.5 tsp allspice
• Salt and pepper
• 200g lamb mince
• 200g beef mince
• 1 tsp oil

Ingredients for the roasted vegetables

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 2 peppers
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Chop the onion, garlic and parsley and add them to a medium sized bowl. Throw in the thyme and spices, and stir through the salt and pepper.

Add in the mince, and mix all together until everything is uniformly well combined. I don't have a photo if this, because I mix in the mince by hand, so my hands were all meat-y.

Shape into whatever shape you prefer – but I like the longer more traditional look for the koftes.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Now, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 2cm cubes, and chop the peppers into chunky strips. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour this over the sweet potatoes and peppers.

PLace on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until everything is well roasted and cooked through.

Now, heat the oil in a large pan, and fry the koftes until cooked through and golden on the outside.

Serve up however you like!