Mitraillette

Mitraillette, which translates to sub-machine gun is a staple of the Brussels street food scene. A baguette filled with usually a meat of some description, proper Belgian fries and covered in a delicious sauce. 

Now if you replace the meat with something a little less dead animal, like garlic mushrooms,  then what's not to like? 

Ingredients
serves 4

6 large potatoes

2 baguettes

for the vegetarian meat substitute

4 large flat mushrooms 

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

50ml olive oil

for the sauce Andalouse

250g mayonnaise

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped 

1 tbsp green pepper, finely chopped 

1 tbsp red pepper, finely chopped 

15ml fresh lemon juice

salt, to taste

Method

Prepare the Sauce Andalouse in advance by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, taste and season with salt. Place in a sealed container and leave in the fridge for at least two hours for the flavours to develop. 

Next, peel the potatoes and cut them into your preferred size of fries, about 1cm thick. Drop them in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for a while.  Drain them and refresh the water. Repeat a couple of times until the water stops clouding up.

Drain once more and dry on some kitchen paper.

Bring vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer (or chip pan) up to about 170C. 

Add the cut potatoes (in batches) and cook gently for 10 minutes. Again drain the excess oil and place on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the potatoes are cooked.  Set aside, cover with a clean tea towel and leave for at least half an hour.

In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Wash the mushrooms and remove the stalk. Add to each mushroom a finely chopped garlic clove, and plenty of olive oil. 

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

10 minutes from the end, wrap the half baguettes in foil and warm in the oven.

Finally, before you're ready to serve, heat the oil in the deep fat fryer to 190C and quickly cook the fries (in batches) until they colour a great golden brown. Drain the excess oil on kitchen paper. Season with salt.

Slice the mushrooms into 1cm thick slices, similar to the fries. 

Cut the baguette open along the top, and open wide. Fill with slices of mushroom, sprinkle some parsley, then top with plenty of fries.

Finish it all off with a big dollop of sauce andalouse and a drizzle with a choice of mayo, ketchup or mustard.

Serve with a fork.