Welsh Lamb Shawarma Loaded Fries

Directions

1. First, let’s make the shawarma spice mix. In a large, dry frying pan, add all the shawarma ingredients except the salt, oregano, garlic powder, garlic cloves and olive oil and toast over a low heat for 5–7 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer these to a food processor or pestle and mortar, along with the salt, oregano and garlic powder and grind to a fine powder.
2. Transfer 1½ tablespoons of this mixture to a bowl and set aside for seasoning the chips.
3. To the remaining spice mixture, add the garlic cloves and olive oil and blend to a paste. Rub this marinade all over the lamb until well coated, then place in a large, ovenproof Dutch oven/pot (with a lid) and set aside to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight.
4. When ready to cook, dissolve the stock cube in 500ml warm (not hot) water, then pour over the lamb. Cover tightly with the lid, then transfer to the oven for 3 hours, during which you should baste the meat in the cooking liquid about three times.
5. After this time, the meat should pull apart easily with two forks. If it still feels a bit tough, simply replace the lid, return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, then check again. When cooked to your liking, pull the lamb into strips with two forks.
6. Whilst the lamb is cooking, start preparing the chips. Place the chips in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with cold, heavily salted water. Bring this to a boil, then cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until the chips are partially cooked but still firm and not too soft around the edges. Drain.
7. Heat the 7 tablespoons oil in a large roasting tray in the oven and, while it is heating, place the boiled chips with the peppers, onions, olive oil, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the reserved spice mix back in the saucepan and toss well to ensure everything is coated (leaving 1/2 tbsp to sprinkle over the chips at the end)
8. Transfer the chips mixture to the hot roasting tray and bake for 1 hour, rotating the tray and flipping the chips halfway through. Once the chips are cooked and golden around the edges, with a soft, fluffy interior, scatter over the remaining spice mix and give the chips a final toss.
9. Now make a quick garlic sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix well to combine.
10. For extra zing and texture, you can also make some quick pickled onions. Simply add the lime juice to the red onions in a bowl and use your hands to scrunch the onions together, which will fasten the pickling process. Leave these to pickle for at least 30 minutes.
11. To assemble, spread the chips out on a large serving dish and scatter the pulled lamb over the chips. Drizzle over the garlic sauce, sprinkle with pickled onions and pickled chillies, then dig in and enjoy!