POLPETTE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
  2. Pick the mint leaves and put half into a food processor, popping the rest into a cup of cold water for later.
  3. Drain the beans, roughly chop the pork fillet, and add both to the processor with 1 heaped teaspoon of mustard, the oats and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  4. Blitz into a coarse mince (don’t go too fine – keep it light and chunky in texture), then tip onto a board and roll into a long sausage. Chop into four equal pieces, divide each into five and, with wet hands, roll into twenty balls.
  5. To start your gravy, put 1 tablespoon of oil into a large high-sided roasting tray on a medium-high heat and add four of the balls, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.
  6. Peel and quarter the onions, break apart into petals and add to the tray, stirring regularly. Cut the apples into thin wedges, discarding the core, and stir them in, too.
  7. Cook it all for 5 minutes, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the remaining heaped teaspoon of mustard, followed by the flour.
  8. Stir for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the stock, season and bring to the boil (it might seem like a lot of liquid, but it will reduce right down as it bakes).
  9. Plop in the remaining balls, spacing them out evenly, then transfer to the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden, shaking the tray halfway through. Warm the buns alongside for the last 5 minutes.
  10. Remove the tray from the oven and finely grate the Cheddar over the balls to melt. Drain and toss the remaining mint leaves with the watercress and/or rocket, and serve it all together, dunking the buns in the gravy as you tuck in.

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the mince with the egg, onion, breadcrumbs, dill and seasoning. Form into small meatballs about the size of walnuts – you should get about 20.
• Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown the meatballs. You may have to do this in 2 batches. Remove from pan, melt the butter, then sprinkle over the flour and stir well. Cook for 2 mins, then slowly whisk in the stock. Keep whisking until it is a thick gravy, then return the meatballs to the pan and heat through. Sprinkle with dill and serve with cranberry jelly, greens and mash.