We first had batata harra at a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese takeaway in town. So what’s a batata harra, you may ask. And I can answer: spicy fried potatoes, served, like falafels, in pita bread with salad and tahini sauce. Mr Thrifty was the first to try one (being the potato-lover that he is) and declared it Really Tasty. In fact, he liked it more than the falafels we bought there. I thought it very good as well, though points off for nuking the cold pre-cooked potatoes before making the sandwiches, thus rendering all the scrunchy bits rather… unscrunchy.

So batata harra, along with falafels, became a popular choice for the odd time we decided to grab a quick, cheap lunch. Then I discovered how to make homemade falafels, which far surpassed the bought ones, and we didn’t go to the Lebanese takeaway after that.

But Mr Thrifty was still hankering after a batata harra. So I thought, how difficult could it be to recreate these delightful sandwiches? Easier than falafels, for sure, as the filling was a lot simpler and didn’t require firing up the deep fryer.

So a couple of days ago, I finally made batata harra. I fried up some potatoes with onion and peppers, made a garlicky yogurt-tahini sauce, and cut up some lettuce & tomatoes to go with it. Heated the pitas (store-bought, alas) and tucked into a lip-smacking-good meal. YUM!

I didn’t have any hot chilies to add, so the only heat came from a bit of cayenne that I added. Nor did I have any fresh coriander (cilantro). Even without those ingredients, the batata harra were much better than those from the takeaway. And much more thrifty!

Batata harra sandwiches

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1.2cm (1/2″) cubes. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. (This will remove some of the starch from the potatoes, making them less likely to stick to the pan when cooking.)

2.  Heat a large heavy skillet (I use cast iron) over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook onion until softened, about five minutes. Add peppers and chili (if using) and continue to cook until vegetables are soft (about an additional five to seven minutes.)  Then add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet.

3. Drain the potatoes and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet (still over low heat) and fry the potato cubes, turning now and then, until they are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Drizzle two tablespoons of water around the edge of the skillet and immediately cover the potatoes with a lid. The lid does not have to fit the skillet, you can use a smaller lid and just rest it on the bottom of the skillet (which is what I do). Cook for five minutes, then remove lid and test potatoes to see if they’re cooked through. If not, cover them again with the lid and give it another couple of minutes (add a bit more water if the pan is dry).

5. When the potatoes are cooked through, add the vegetable mixture back into the skillet and mix thoroughly. Season with dried coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Add the fresh coriander, if using, and heat through.

6. Meanwhile, cut up the lettuce and tomato for the salad. Mix together the sauce ingredients until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it to the consistency of a thickish salad dressing.

7. Warm pita breads and slit one side open. Put in a handful of lettuce and some tomatoes. Spoon a bit of the sauce on top. Then fill with the fried potatoes and top with more sauce.

Makes four large or six smaller sandwiches, enough for two people who love potatoes!

This isn’t so much a recipe as an idea.

Sometimes when Mr Thrifty and I are out somewhere and want something quick and cheap to eat, we’ll stop at the nearest supermarket for the ingredients to make these. It’s a lot tastier than fast food fare (assuming you could even find vegan fast food) and less expensive to boot.

First get yourself a baguette. This works better than regular bread, which isn’t really sturdy enough.

Next is the hoummus, any type will do (though do double-check it’s vegan).

And then, of course, the onion bhajis. Vegetable bhajis or pakoras will work as well.

Tomatoes are a nice, but optional, addition.

If the baguette is one of those big suckers, cut or tear it into pieces, then cut or tear each piece in half. Spread generously with hoummus. Add an onion bhaji or two, and top with sliced tomatoes.

That’s it! So easy and yet so tasty. And beats the heck out of a McDeath Burger.

Unless you’re British, you probably don’t know what a “butty” is. Wiki says it’s another word for sandwich, but that’s incorrect, I’m afraid.

A butty is a sandwich (a filling between two slices of bread), but a sandwich is not usually a butty. “Butty” has a much narrower definition than sandwich does.

Mr Thrifty was extensively questioned on this, and after much consideration and deliberation, he issued the following statement:

There are two types of butty: The Chip Butty and The Bacon Butty. Anything else between two pieces of bread is merely a sandwich.

The Chip Butty is a sandwich made from two slices of untoasted bread (or an untoasted roll) plus fresh-cooked chips — and may I stress that I am talking about “proper” chips, not crisps or french fries. The bread may be spread with margarine or mayonnaise, and salt, vinegar and ketchup may be used. As simple as it may sound, I can assure you The Chip Butty is delicious.

This morning I made hashbrowns for breakfast, served on toast that had been spread with vegan mayo, and topped with ketchup. Was this a butty, I asked Mr Thrifty. He frowned. I pointed out the similarities between my hashbrown creation and The Chip Butty. Fried potatoes on bread. Ketchup. Mayo. Surely there could be some flexibility in the interpretation.

Mr Thrifty tasted. He got that gleam in his eye that he gets when he tries something he really really likes.

Yes, he declared, this tasty morsel of potatoey goodness was worthy of the “butty” moniker.

And thus The Hashbrown Butty was born.

Hashbrown butties

1. Peel potatoes and shred them. Spread on a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let stand five minutes.

2. Mince shallot.

3. When potatoes have sat for five minutes, take handfuls and squeeze them as hard as you can to extract as much moisture as possible. Mix with minced shallots.

4. Heat olive oil in a heavy frypan over medium heat. When hot, add potatoes and spread into a thin, even layer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fry until golden on one side then flip over to brown other side. You’ll probably have to cut the giant hashbrown in pieces to do this.

5. When hashbrown is done, toast bread. Spread with vegan mayo. Top with hashbrowns and ketchup.

Makes two servings.

I think we may be going through the moon’s Falafel phase, because a couple other Vegan Mofo bloggers have made and blogged about falafels in the last couple of days. (Hi, Jeni!)

If you’ve never had a homemade falafel sandwich, you are really missing out on something Very Delicious and Very Delectable. While bought ones CAN be good… even really very yummy and tasty… they can also be not very good at all.

Make falafels yourself and you can be guaranteed of making a lip-smacking good meal. (The kind that makes you wish you’d made more, even when you’re stuffed full of falafel goodness and couldn’t possibly eat any more.)

A warning to the fried-food-phobics out there! These are fried, specifically deep-fried. But they are soooo good.

Some falafels are made with dried chickpeas which have been soaked overnight but not cooked (I think this is the “authentic” way). The first time Mr Thrifty and I attempted homemade falafels this way, the pesky little balls fell apart in the fryer. Falafel crumbs! We rescued the batch by mixing the remainder with a tin of pureed chickpeas to hold them together. Success! Though perhaps not completely authentic.

We always make enough of these to do three meals of four sandwiches (yes, Mr Thrifty and I have two sandwiches each… they are that good!)

Tahini paste is like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds. It has recently almost doubled in price at some places in these parts, so shop around.

Instead of the tin of chickpeas, you can use home-cooked chickpeas (which is what I usually do), and use a bit of cooking liquid instead of the reserved liquid from the tin. Start with 110g (1/2 cup) dry chickpeas and let Stanley cook ‘em!

Heavenly falafel sandwiches

1. Drain soaked chickpeas and put them in a food processor. Add bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and salt. Turn machine on and blend until you have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. (I do this in two batches as I have a small food processor.)

2. Empty the chickpeas crumbs into a large bowl. Add the onion, fresh coriander (cilantro), lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne and pepper. Mix gently.

3. In a food processor or blender, combine tinned chickpeas with 1 tablespoon tahini and 2 tablespoons chickpea liquid. Process until smooth. Scrape down sides and add more chickpea liquid if necessary to make a smooth paste.

3. Add the chickpea puree to the chickpea crumb mixture and mix thoroughly. Form into small patties and deep-fry in batches at 180C until golden (about 3 minutes). Don’t do more than one layer at a time.

4. Remove from fryer and drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkle hot falafels with lemon juice & salt. Repeat with remaining falafels.

5. To make salad, combine diced vegetables with fresh coriander (cilantro) and salt.

6. Warm pita breads and slit one side open. Use about 1/2 cup salad and two falafels per pita, and spoon tahini sauce over top.

Remaining falafels can be frozen. Reheat in a 160C (320F) oven for 20 minutes, until hot.