Homemade sweet and juicy pork meatballs, smothered in sticky onion gravy. Served with buttery mash and vibrant green broccoli. A mid-week meal that can be made in advance and that the whole family will enjoy slurping.
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Heat a large frying pan (preferably non-stick) and add half of the oil. Add the sliced onions and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes with a pinch of salt until they are soft and translucent. Add half of the butter and the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes until they start to wilt and colour a little. Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan and pop them to one side.
Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining the pork mince with the grated apple (juice squeezed out but no need to peel), half of the chopped parsley, and breadcrumbs. Season well with salt and pepper. Combine everything really well using your hands and roll into 12-15 meatballs (if cooking for 4), roughly the same size as a golf ball. Make sure you roll the balls well to prevent them from breaking up as they fry.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and turn the heat to high. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for 6-8 minutes until they are golden all over. They don't need to be cooked through at this stage. Remove the meatballs from the pan to join the onions and mushrooms.
Add the remaining butter to the frying pan. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well until a paste forms. Add the cider (if using) and the chicken gravy or stock (if you didn't add the cider, add an extra 150ml of stock, if cooking for 4). Switch to a whisk and mix until there are no lumps. Allow the mixture to boil and the gravy to thicken for a few minutes. Add the red currant jelly, Worcester sauce and the Dijon mustard and whisk again before putting the meatballs, onions and mushrooms back into the gravy. Season once again with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes before adding the remaining chopped parsley.
While the gravy simmers, heat the mash according to the packet instructions and cook the tenderstem broccoli in boiling salted water for 4 minutes until just tender.
Serve the mash, pile on the meatballs, gravy and al dente tenderstem. Delicious!