Rwandan Brochettes with Ibirayi

In Rwanda, eating out means brochettes and a cold drink at a bar with a charcoal grill out front, and I want our Rwandan night to be that meal. The thing to learn is how to get a real char on skewers indoors, using a very hot broiler and a dry marinade so the meat sears rather than steams. It is weeknight-feasible because the marinade takes five minutes in the morning, the potatoes fry while the skewers broil, and the sides are raw vegetables. My son likes meat on a stick and fries, so this one looks like an easy sell, with the chile oil reserved for the adult plates.

• Beef sirloin or goat: Sirloin or top-round cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes cooks fast and stays juicy. Halal butchers and many international markets sell goat; if you use it, cut small and marinate overnight, since goat is leaner and tougher.
• The marinade: Grated onion, garlic, salt, pepper, a little oil and often lemon or ginger. Grating the onion rather than chopping it lets its juices tenderize the meat.
• Potatoes for frying: Russets or Yukon Golds cut into thick fries; soaking and drying them makes them crisp. A bag of frozen fries baked on a sheet pan is an honest shortcut.
• Chile oil: Akabanga, sold in small dropper bottles, is extremely hot and available online and in some African grocers; a few drops of any very hot chile oil does the same job at the table.

1. Marinate the meat: grate half of one onion and the ginger into a bowl, add the minced garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the paprika, cumin, 2 tablespoons oil and the juice of half the lemon. Toss with the beef cubes and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, ideally several hours or overnight.
2. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes so they do not burn.
3. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch-thick fries, soak in cold water 10 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly on a towel. Slice the plantain into 1/2-inch diagonal pieces if using.
4. Cut the remaining onion into wedges, then separate into petals; some will go on the skewers and some, sliced thin, into the salad. Slice the tomatoes. Toss the thin onion and tomato with salt, lemon juice and chopped herbs if using.

1. Heat 2 cups oil in a heavy pot or deep skillet to 325°F (a cube of potato should bubble steadily). Fry the potatoes in two batches for 5–6 minutes until pale and soft; lift out onto a rack. (This first fry can be done while the meat marinates.)
2. Set the oven broiler to high with a rack 4 inches below the element. Thread the beef onto skewers, 5–6 cubes each, with an onion petal between every cube or two; leave a little space so the meat browns rather than steams. Lay the skewers on a foil-lined sheet pan.
3. Broil the skewers 5–6 minutes, turn, and broil 4–5 minutes more, until charred at the edges and 135–140°F inside for medium; goat should go a few minutes longer. Rest 5 minutes.
4. While the skewers broil, raise the oil to 375°F and fry the potatoes a second time, 3–4 minutes, until deep golden and crisp. Salt immediately. Fry the plantain slices 2 minutes per side in the same oil, if using.
5. Taste a piece of meat and sprinkle with more salt if needed. Squeeze lemon over the skewers.

Pile the fries on a platter with the skewers on top, the plantain alongside and the tomato-onion salad in a bowl, with lemon wedges and the chile oil at the table, the way Rwandan bars serve them. My son's plate is two skewers slid off the stick, fries and plain tomato, with no chile anywhere near it; the adults add Akabanga one drop at a time, because it is genuinely fierce. Leftover meat keeps two days and is good sliced cold or warmed in a skillet; fries do not keep, so eat them all.