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Crispy sizzling meatballs, fresh fragrant thyme and an indulgent hum of Parmesan.
This is a speedy lunch that makes a preposterous sandwich. Finger food is what lunches are made of and chomping at these little chicken cakes often gets messy; in the best way possible. Making a large batch takes little time and leaves you with an easy out of the freezer lunch option, a touch of lettuce and mayo and you are ready! If there was such a thing as a satisfaction to effort ratio then this would be a leading contender. When I say these are quick I truly mean it and upon many tastings of this lunch I’ve had overwhelmingly positive responses, and my this one is simple so give it a go! Notes: Having had no breadcrumbs on 1 occasion, I substituted with ground cashews, this and a dash of flour easily fulfilled the role of the breadcrumbs to hold the meatballs together and the nuts were a welcome addition so I would recommend mixing cashews into the breadcrumb mixture.
I have also tried dipping the meatballs in egg, then covering with breadcrumbs before frying but this seemed an unnecessary step - it's easier and just as tasty to combine a small amount of breadcrumbs into the turkey mixture.
Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 8 mins Serves: 6 servings (24 meatballs)
Ingredients:
500g minced chicken/turkey
6 rashers streaky bacon
3 heaped tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
50-100g of breadcrumbs / cashew nuts
1 lemon, zest and juice
Handful of fresh thyme, chopped finely
To serve:
mayonnaise
lettuce leaves
bread
Method: 1). Place the chicken, bacon and breadcrumbs/cashews in a mixing bowl. Grate in the lemon zest, squeeze in the lemon juice and tip in the the thyme leaves. 2). Add in the grated Parmesan, season with a little salt and a good dash of black pepper and mix together. Shape the mix into golf sized balls. 3). Warm oil in a pan to a medium high heat and scatter the meatballs into the pan (don’t overfill it or the temperature will drop and your meatballs will absorb the oil rather than get crispy). 4). Cook for 5-6 minutes, allowing them to attain a golden-brown colouring. Turn the heat down a little for a few minutes to allow the cakes to cook through. Try to turn them only once at this stage so that a delicious crust forms. 5). Drop the cakes on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and place on crisp lettuce leaves with a dollop of mayonnaise and wrap the lettuce around the meatballs and chomp away. Alternatively, create yourself a glorious sandwich; a fairly soft seeded white bread goes down well here.