Recipe of the week: Crispy potato and meatball pan fry

Crispy potato and meatball pan fry

Not all of us are blessed with the finest culinary skills in the world. Crispy potato and meatball pan fry is easy and healthy. What more could you want?

Some of us die a quick death in the kitchen when it comes to cooking. Other lack the motivation and frozen food can become a staple diet. However if you are looking for relatively easy meals, and food that won’t clog up your arteries, look no further.

We are here to hold your hand, metaphorically speaking. JOE is good, not unrealistic.

The Basics:

Serves 4

8 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per serving

33 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per recipe

Takes just 40 minutes. Assuming you follow our instructions of course.

What you need:

400g(14oz) potatoes, peeled and halved, if large

400g(14oz) lean beef mince

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Calorie controlled cooking spray  – ordinary will do if needs be

1 leek, sliced thickly

1 courgette, sliced thickly

1 teaspoon cornflour

3 tablespoons red onion chutney

250ml (9 fl oz) vegetable stock

3 long fresh rosemary sprigs

200g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

75g (2 ¾ oz) mozzarella light, torn into pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until tender, then drain and leave to cool slightly. Slice the potatoes thickly and set aside. Meanwhile, mix the mince and thyme together, season and form into 16 walnut sized balls.
2. Heat a large, deep-sided, ovenproof, non-stick frying pan. Spray with the cooking spray, add the meatballs and fry over a medium heat for 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Preheat the grill to high. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the leek and courgette for 2 minutes then drain and refresh under cold running water.
4. Stir the cornflour and chutney into the stock and pour into a small pan. Add two sprigs of rosemary then bring to the boil and season with black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and take out the rosemary and discard.
5. Arrange the tomatoes, leek and courgette in the frying pan with the meatballs. Pour the sauce over, then top with sliced potatoes. Scatter the mozzarella over the top and grill for 6 minutes or until golden.
6. Chop the remaining sprig of rosemary finely and scatter over the top before serving.

Suggestions:

For a vegetarian alternative,  why not swap the meatball for 8x 50g (1 ¾ oz) vegetarian Quorn sausages. Cook for the same length of time as the meatball in step 2, then slice each one into four and continue the recipe from step 3 for 7 ProPoints values per serving.

For those that can’t imagine any meal without meat, forget those last two sentences ever existed. They were just a dream….

Grow your own:

Why not try to grow your own fresh herbs? It’s so convenient to have them to hand and they’re very economical too. Thyme and rosemary are good herbs to start with since they’re hardy and don’t need much looking after.

Handy money saver and great pub conversation. “Did you know I grow my own herbs?”. Research will in time show this to be one of the great chat-up lines.

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!