Ingredients
| CHEESE PUFFS | |
| 40g Mitchells Nutrition Beef Tallow | |
| plus 2 tablespoons extra | |
| 75g plain flour | |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | |
| 2 medium eggs (60-65g each) | |
| 100g cheddar cheese | |
| umami salt, to serve | |
| UMAMI SALT (MAKES 4 TEASPOONS) | |
| ½ teaspoon celery seeds | |
| 1 teaspoon flaky salt | |
| 1 teaspoon powdered beef stock | |
| kelp flakes or dried porcini powder | |
| 1 teaspoon onion powder | |
| ½ teaspoon garlic powder | |
| ½ teaspoon sweet paprika |
Mitchells Nutrition Beef Tallow has a smooth, clean flavour that is perfect for baking and frying. Roast or smashed potatoes or other root veges become beautifully crisp and extra tasty when cooked in beef tallow, and it is ideal for frying chips. It is also great for baking, resulting in a short, crisp texture.
UMAMI SALT This mixture is like chicken salt – full of umami and great for sprinkling on anything from roast veges to hot chips and popcorn. It requires a teaspoon of something umami-packed such as beef stock powder. This version is perfect for these cheese puffs or chips cooked in beef tallow, but for a plant-based option you can use kelp or, my favourite, porcini powder.
Instructions
| 1. | CHEESE PUFFS |
| 2. | Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. |
| 3. | Put 125ml water in a small saucepan with 40g beef tallow and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, until the tallow is melted. |
| 4. | Take off the heat and stir in the flour and salt, stirring until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. |
| 5. | Put back over a low heat and stir for 2 minutes to dry out the mixture. |
| 6. | Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes. |
| 7. | Beat in the eggs, one at a time – the mixture will separate but come together with continued beating. |
| 8. | Stir in the grated cheese. |
| 9. | Drop heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray, spaced a little apart. |
| 10. | Bake for 25 minutes until golden and puffed. |
| 11. | If eating straight away, sprinkle liberally with umami salt and serve. |
| 12. | If preparing these in advance, cool them on a rack and store in an airtight container until needed, for up to 3 days. |
| 13. | When ready to serve, heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 14. | Put 1 tablespoon of beef tallow into an ovenproof bowl or dish and put in the oven for 2 minutes, until the tallow is hot and melted. |
| 15. | Add half the puffs and give a good shake around to coat, then lay out on a rack. |
| 16. | Repeat with remaining puffs. |
| 17. | Reheat in the oven for 5 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with umami salt and serve. |
| 18. | UMAMI SALT |
| 19. | Put the celery seeds in a mortar with half the salt and grind to break up the seeds. |
| 20. | Put into a small jar along with the remaining salt, your choice of beef stock, kelp or porcini powder, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. |
| 21. | Screw the lid on and shake to mix. Keeps for weeks. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles