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Loaded Shawarma-Spiced Fries with Lemony Tahini & Crunchy Veg Salad

5 from 6 reader reviews
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients

FRIES:

  • 4 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend (see note)
  • sea salt, to taste

VEG SALAD:

  • ¾ cup diced cucumber
  • ¾ cup diced fresh tomatoes
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 1 roasted red pepper, diced
  • 10 kalamata olives, halved
  • handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup cooked chickpeas
  • ½ teaspoon shawarma spice (see notes)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons virgin olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste

LEMONY TAHINI:

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely grated
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

CHEESY SESAME SPRINKLE:

  • 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • big pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch thick wedges and transfer them to the baking sheet. Toss them with the oil, shawarma spice blend, and salt. Space the potatoes out so that each wedge has about an inch of space. Place potatoes in the oven and roast for about 40 minutes, or until tender and golden brown, flipping them at the halfway point.
  • While potatoes are roasting, make the veg salad. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, roasted red pepper, olives, parsley, chickpeas, shawarma spice, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
  • Make the lemony tahini. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once combined and seasoned to your liking, set aside.
  • Lastly, make the cheesy sesame sprinkle. In a spice grinder, combine the sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, onion powder and salt. Pulse the grinder a few times until you have a fine meal. Set aside.
  • Build the loaded shawarma-spiced fries. On a platter, arrange the shawarma-spiced fries in a single layer. Drizzle the fries with the lemony tahini. Spoon the crunchy veg salad on top, ensuring that you strain off the excess liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Finish the loaded shawarma-spiced fries with the cheesy sesame sprinkle and extra chopped parsley if you like.

Recipe Notes

  • I tried straight forward roasting as well as par-boiling the potatoes with baking soda before roasting. The baking soda ones were a bit crispier, but ultimately not worth the fuss involved--especially given all of the other components involved in the recipe. If you want to try the par-boil, I followed these instructions (using avocado oil instead of animal-based fats).
  • I have a spice/coffee grinder that I use for spices and small batches of vegan “parm” or other cheesy and sprinkly things.
Shawarma-spiced fries loaded up with lemony tahini and a crunchy veg salad. Super satisfying vegan recipe with lots of big flavours.