Crispy chips with chilli salsa and cheese

Method

1. Slice the potatoes into thin chips, then put in a bowl with the salt and cover with cold water. Soak for 1 hour, then drain and pat dry 
using kitchen paper. While they’re soaking, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
2. Heat the oil in your largest roasting tin (it’s important not to crowd the chips) for 3-4 minutes until smoking. Add the chips and turn to coat in the oil, then cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning occasionally (don’t worry if they break up a little when turned – it just adds to their crispiness), until crisp and golden.
3. While the chips are cooking, make the salsa. Heat a frying pan and toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush to a powder. Put the shallot, red wine vinegar and sugar in a small glass or ceramic bowl, stir in a little salt and leave for 10 minutes. Put all the salsa ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and whizz to a rough paste. Whizz in the oil, then taste and add more salt, sugar or vinegar as needed. (If you don’t have a food processor, crush the ingredients to a paste in a pestle and mortar, adding the oil with the rest of the ingredients.)
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4. When the chips are golden, lift them into an ovenproof serving dish using a fish slice, then pat gently with kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Scatter over the grated cheese, then return to the oven for 5-10 minutes more until the cheese has melted. Dollop over the chilli salsa and serve immediately.