Israeli-Spiced Arayes with Roasted Potato Chips and Chopped Vegetable Salad

Recipes and photography by Hana Itzhaki

This is one of our family’s favorite meals. We prefer to make it vegetarian and use plant-based burgers, but you can use any ground protein you prefer. If you don’t have all the seasonings, just use what you have on hand from those listed. These oven roasted potato “chips” are a fabulous side and double as a healthier snack that you can make anytime. I use a mandoline to slice them thinly and evenly, but you can cut them by hand if you don’t have a mandoline.

Potato Ingredients

• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• ground black pepper, to taste
• cooking spray, preferably olive oil

Arayes Ingredients

• 5 pitas
• 2 packages plant-based burgers
• 2 tablespoons homemade Israeli seasoning  OR 2 teaspoons each cumin, paprika, and turmeric, plus 1 teaspoon each granulated garlic and graduated onion

Salad Ingredients

• 6 Persian cucumbers
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• juice of ½ lime
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For Serving

ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo, tahina, or any other condiments of your choice, for dipping (optional)

Total: $22.60

To prepare the potatoes, preheat oven to 450°F. Take out two extra-large rimmed baking sheets.

Give the potatoes a quick scrub. Slice the potatoes into thin rounds either by hand or with a mandoline. Line one of the baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on the parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper and spray with cooking spray. Roast for 15–20 minutes, just until they start to brown in places. They will continue to crisp as they cool.