Pork and Apple Meatballs in Tarrgon, White Wine - The Diet's on hold.

What better combination than Apples and Pork? Check out this recipe for Pork and Apple Meatballs with a delicious Tarragon Butter. Lots of the ingredients are available at The Meating Joint Butchers Shop in Studley - not just the meat!

Tarragon and Mustard Butter.

This is known as a compound butter - delicious creamy butter mixed with flavourings. You can whack in on a roast, smother it on a steak or very slowly melt it over your veggies to schuz up (is that how you spell it...?) any meal. This particular butter is banging with a roast chicken or melting into a baked potato too. You can use salted or unsalted butter; we have Kerrygold in store.

Ingredients

• About 120g of butter (smush it so it's soft)

• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh tarragon

• 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard (Mrs Darlington's mustard is in store for £1.99)

• 1 minced garlic clove (or a squidge from the tube of garlic available in store)

• Pinch of black pepper

Method

This one is dead easy...

1. Whack all the ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mix them up.

3. Scrape onto parchment paper and roll it up like a sausage. Twist the ends like a cracker and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

4. Slice it as thick as you like.

Pork and Apple Meatballs

This is a great one to get the kids to help with. They love getting their hands messy and it's really good for developing fine and gross motor skills.

Ingredients

• 900g of minced pork

• 1 large egg

• 50g of breadcrumbs (you can pick up panko breadcrumbs for ease, or blend some stale bread or smash some Jacob's crackers)

• 100g cheddar cheese (our extra mature in store is delish)

• 50g grated apple

• 50g finely diced onion

• 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped tarragon

• 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard

• 2 minced garlic cloves (or a smidge of the tubey stuff)

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

• 4 peeled, cored and sliced apples

If you put them in the oven to bake, you don't need to give them as much attention. If you prefer, you can pan fry them on a medium heat.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place a greased wire rack on the baking sheet.

2. Lightly whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

3. Add the pork, cheese, apple, onion, tarragon, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the egg and breadcrumbs. Mix until very thoroughly combined – using your hands works best for this (or make the kids do it). Roll into heaping 1-tablespoon balls. (makes about 36). Arrange in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked.

4. Cut off a slice of the butter and melt in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the apple and stir to combine. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes until softened but still holding their shape. Return the meatballs to the same pan and stir until hot, adding one or two extra slices of butter to coat.

5. Serve the apples and meatballs with creamy mash and extra slices of the butter if desired. Serve garnished with tarragon leaves and with a blob of Mrs Darlington's apple sauce.

This goes really well with a fresher style Chardonnay (or apple juice if you're lucky enough to be under 18)

Have a go and send us photos to be featured on our page!

Want to get organised?

Make these meatballs in advance, pop them on greaseproof paper or in a freezable bag and pop in the freezer. Or cook them before freezing and store them in the same way. They'll be good for up to three months! The butter will keep too... roll it in some greaseproof paper and store in the fridge.

#pork #meatballs #familyfavourite #winterwarmer #tasty #flavour