Apache Potato & Merguez Meatball Skewers

METHOD

1. In a large bowl and with a wooden spoon mix together all the meatball ingredients. Once evenly combined shape the mixture into neat 35g balls with your hands. Chill the Merguez balls on a plate lined with greaseproof paper in the fridge until needed.

2. Place the sliced onions onto a large flat plate, sprinkle with a little sea salt and dust evenly with all the flour – mix gently with your hands and fingertips until the flour is evenly incorporated into the onions.

3. Heat one third of the sunflower oil in a suitably sized heavy bottomed frying pan set over a medium high heat. Allow the oil to almost reach smoking point. Add one third of the floured onions to the hot oil and fry on a high heat for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon until the onions take on a nice even golden-brown colour and turn crispy.

4. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the onions into a colander lined with kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle the crispy onions with a little fresh sea salt. Repeat the same process with the remaining sliced onions in two more batches. Keep the crispy onions warm until needed.

5. Place the Apache potatoes into a suitably sized pot and cover with cold water – add a tablespoon of sea salt to the water and place the pot over a high heat. Cook the potatoes on a simmer until they are tender but not fully cooked through (8-10 minutes approx.).

6. When the potatoes are cooked drain them into a colander and allow to cool until hand manageable. From here cut each potato in half ready to be skewered.

7. Take a clean skewer and carefully thread a potato half on to it. Push the potato to the base of the skewer and then add a chilled meatball pushing it carefully down the skewer to meet the Apace potato.
   Repeat this process until the skewer has 5 potatoes and 4 meatballs on it. Continue with all 8 skewers until the potatoes and meatballs are all skewered – You are now ready to grill!

8. Prepare your BBQ grill as you would normally i.e., white hot coals and no flames. Brush the skewered potatoes and meatballs lightly with some of the olive oil – place your skewers onto the hot grill of the BBQ and cook for 6-7 minutes until nicely charred. With BBQ tongs carefully turn your skewers and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.

9. Remove the skewers from the grill and place onto a large clean serving plate. Carefully remove the skewers from the cooked potatoes and meatballs and arrange neatly on the serving plate. Drizzle the herby yogurt over and around the grilled potatoes and meatballs and then sprinkle the crispy fried onions the top of the yogurt.

10. Place the whole plate into the centre of the table and allow your family and friends to help themselves.

    Bon appetite!

Yogurt Verde

1. 50g flat parsley leaves.
   25g mint leaves.
   15g coriander leaves.
   40ml extra virgin olive oil.
   1 tbsp Dijon mustard.
   Juice of half a lemon.
   4 chopped tinned anchovy fillets.
   2 tbspdrained capers.
   Pinch sea salt and a twist of ground black pepper.
   200ml Thick Greek yogurt.

2. Put all the ingredients, except the yogurt into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste.

3. Carefully remove the herby mixture from the processor bowl and add it to a clean mixing bowl. Add the yogurt to the herby mixture and gently mix until the two are evenly combined.

4. This can be made up to a day in advance and should be kept in the fridge but will be best enjoyed if served at room temperature.

What you will need