Please help, what can I make for dinner with a kilo of mince, some potatoes and tinned tomatoes?

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

I am so fed up with making the same meals week after week and got some mince out of the freezer yesterday. I have the meat, pots, onions, tinned toms, some mini mozarella balls that DD pleaded for to take to school and now wont. I've also got lots of herbs and spices.
Please clobber me round the head with inspiration.
Thanks in advance

meatballs? cottage pie?

Shepherds pie topped with the sliced mozarella balls

Nigel Slater did a really nice recipe for pork patties with thyme and mozzerella. It was basically flatish meatballs with chunks of mozzerella in them that you fried and the cheese oozed out in a very gooey fashion. I think you could make up something similar with beef.

Or else a kind of hot pot, with the mince underneath and sliced potatoes on top.

burgers and chips, but put a mozzie ball in the middle of each burger...

Make keema.

Fry onions in oil on very low heat for about 20 mins until they are caramel coloured. Put a cinammon stick and bay leaf in if you have them. Meanwhile in a blender blend a thumb of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, teaspoon ground coriander, teaspoon turmeric, salt, splash of water to make a paste. Then put in with onions on medium heat and stir constantly. The paste will cook and after about 5 mins it will seem that there is oil seepin out of it. At this point add the mince and stir through, after 5 mins add tomatoes and some puree.

Cook on low heat for about 30 mins.

Serve with naan bread or rice.

Give the mozzarella balls to the cat.

mince and tatties

Get orf, I like the sound of that. We have all the ingredients except the ginger and I can go to the shop for that.
We don't have a cat (although next door have an indeterminate number)
Mince and tatties? I wouldn't know where to start

Spice the mince with garlic pepper and chilli roll into sausages and cook in the oven on a wire tray(with a tin under) then chop the sausages up serve with salad dressed in lemon with yoghurt and mint dip in pitta pockets.

keema is gorgeous...

are you serious about the mince and tatties btw? it's really just an onion, fried gently until translucent, then plenty of carrot (four, maybe?) and soften, add one half tsp of garam masala (my grandma's tip, doesn't taste curryish), add mince and gently brown, break up, add some water and simmer.

Oh forget about giving it to the cat then! I just loathe mini mozarella balls, they remind me of doll's eyeballs.

You could probably make that keema without the ginger and it would still taste yummy. I would shove some chilli in it as well though (but I like my stuff spicy).

Getorf thanks for that recipe, thats what Im making for dinner now!

With the spuds, you can either make Gujerat Potatoes, fry some oil, add a load of mustard seeds until they pop, add some kalonji, then your spuds diced up, and a load of turmeric and salt. Cook the potatoes on low, add a splash of water from time to time to stop them drying out. I cook this in a wok with a lid, takes about 20 mins or so with lid on.

Or, dice or wedge the potatoes, splosh some oil on and add a load of hot paprika (or normal paprika and some cayenne/chilli flakes) and plenty of rock salt, cook in high oven for 40 mins or so,.

GOML, what is kalonji? We have virtually every indian spice known to man. DH is a great fan of the Curry Club man whose name escapes me.

Kalonji is what it is called in Indian grocers, think is also called black cumin (I might be making that up) but is also called Nigella.

Best curry bible I own is Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi (think she used to own Bombay Brasserie).

I cook curry all the time as it is so easy and I don't have to think, plus have a brilliant Indian grocer down the road, onions, garlic, chillis and herbs from him are so much fresher and cheaper than sainsbos.

Kalonji are black onion seeds, usually found in naan bread

Cracking, dinner is sorted, I'll just go and get some ginger. DD can have spaghetti hoops or something. She is so unadventurous although she will eat that creamy tasteless one occasionally.

Kreecher - my dd is the same. Every time I cook a curry I have to do a mild one for her, whilst me and DP blow our brains out with spice of vindaloo proportions.

Right, got everything except the cinammon stick so will have to use powder.
Pat Chapman is the book DH adores, he even has his autograph.
I can get to Asia shops, but need to go to the centre of Antwerp. Local supermarkets sell ginger/galangal and coriander, but beyond that they are hopeless.