Pork, juniper & pink peppercorn meatballs with leeks & puy lentils
2-3
40 mins
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These are some of the nicest meatballs I’ve ever had and it’s well worth looking at the spice section in the supermarket for the slightly more unusual juniper berries and pink peppercorns (they won’t go to waste, as you’ll definitely want to make these again). Use good-quality sausages, as the texture works really well here and you’ll need the added seasoning from them.
Ingredients
3
leeks , halved and cut into 1 cm half-moons
1 x 250 g vac pack
of cooked Puy lentils
1
tbsp
olive oil
1
tsp
sea salt flakes
1
tbsp
juniper berries
1
tbsp
pink peppercorns
1
lemon , zest and juice
1
free-range egg , beaten
6
free-range pork sausages
1
tbsp
extra virgin olive oil
handful
fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves , finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °Cleeks and Puy lentils into a roasting tin with the olive oil and sea salt and mix well.
Grind the juniper and pink peppercorns to a rough powder, then add them to a bowl with the lemon zest and egg.
Squeeze the sausagemeat from the sausage casings into the bowl and mix well with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated. Take walnut-sized balls of the mixture (this is easier with wet hands) and form into meatballs, popping them into the roasting tin as you go. You should have about 18 meatballs by the end.
Transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes
Whisk the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt together and dress the meatballs and lentils with it. Scatter with the parsley and a pinch more of the pink peppercorns if you like and serve hot.
The Quick Roasting Tin
