Sage, leek & onion balls

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Too good to be kept for Christmas, why not make double of these stuffing balls and keep some in the freezer?

Prep:20 mins
Cook:1 hrs

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 131
fat 9g
saturates 2g
carbs 8g
sugars 1g
fibre 0g
protein 6g
salt 0.72g

Ingredients

4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 leek, finely sliced into rings
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
450g pack good-quality pork sausages, meat squeezed out
20g pack sage, leaves finely chopped
140g white breadcrumbs
1 large egg
8 smoked dry-cured streaky bacon rashers, halved and stretched out a bit
sage sprig, to garnish (optional)

Tip

Prepare ahead
The stuffing can be made up to 48 hrs ahead and chilled immediately. Remove from the fridge just before cooking. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month – defrost completely in the fridge before cooking. Once cooked, it will keep in a low oven, or can be reheated, covered with foil for 20 mins, while the turkey is resting.

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onions, leek and celery for 15 mins with the pan covered. Put the sausagemeat into a bowl. Once the onion mix has cooled, tip onto the sausagemeat, add the sage, bread, egg and seasoning, then mix really well with your hands.
Set aside 250g to stuff the turkey, then shape the rest into 16 balls, wrapping each with bacon. Sit these on a non-stick baking sheet, cover with foil, then bake for 15 mins. Uncover, then bake 30 mins more until the bacon is golden. Garnish with a sage sprig, if you like.