Neven Maguire: mid-week meal solutions

I have just had the most fantastic week filming in the Cashel Palace Hotel. We made two holiday-themed programmes for RTÉ which will be shown in December, so stay tuned for more on that.

The staff at Cashel Palace were fantastic, to say the least. They worked late into the night to get all the Christmas decorations up for filming, and then they took them all down again once we had finished.

I know it’s only mid-November, but for some reason this year I have to keep reminding myself that it is not yet time for Christmas decorations – it feels like it is.

During the filming of the programme, we had a beautiful local choir called The Sunday Morning Singers and their voices were good for the soul. I feel like I have already had one Christmas and another one – the actual Christmas – is still to come.

Cashel Palace had such a warm atmosphere; it was a real joy to work there. The staff and general manager, Adriaan Bartels, made us feel very welcome and took great care of us. Of course, I’d also be remiss to not mention and say a big thank you to our sponsor for the programme, Bord Bia.

One of the greatest pleasures for me while filming was being able to catch up with Stefan McEnteer, who was ‘once upon a time’ a trainee chef in MacNean House.

Today, he is head chef in the Bishops Buttery, which was awarded a Michelin Star this past year. Stefan cooked a beautiful spiced lamb stew for the show. It was great to see how well he is getting on and I am always thrilled to see the folk who started out with us go on to do great things in food and hospitality, both in Ireland and abroad.

They’ve worked so hard and are well deserving of their success.

Stephen Hayes, who is Cashel Palace’s director of culinary (for all the restaurants) also cooked for us. He made a delicious dish using Thornhill duck (one of my favourites). We have been serving Thornhill duck in MacNean for as long as I can remember.

After that, it was my turn to cook. The recipes cooked will be in Irish Country Living over the next few weeks. I made a fish dish for starters, and then I cooked a ham from James Whelan Butchers. Pat Whelan is the fifth generation running the family business, and I honestly think this was the best ham I have ever tasted.

I also made a roulade of turkey and sausage meat. The crew and I very much enjoyed our November Christmas at Cashel Palace.

Mince it

For our recipes this week, we are looking at new ways to use mince.

Mince is very versatile and good value, so I am sharing two tasty mid-week mince dinners. Turkey is a very lean mince and it cooks quickly, so be careful not to overcook it; it can become very dry.

For these turkey meatballs, I like to mix all of the other ingredients together first before adding the turkey. Then, I knead the mince into the rest of the ingredients until just combined.

I love a good Irish apple cider vinegar, like the one from Highbank Orchards, which is made in Kilkenny and is always in my cupboard.

These meatballs would also be nice served with pasta, if couscous isn’t your thing.

Turkey mince is also great for burgers. When I’m making burgers or meatballs, I usually double the recipe and freeze half for future dinners. I’m always thankful of them on a busy week when having them to hand just makes life easier. It’s a good idea to put parchment paper between them so they don’t stick together.

These cheeseburger jacket potatoes are a great comfort meal for the whole family. I often make these for the twins when they come home from school. It’s a bit like a burger, but in a jacket potato. I love it with plenty of crunchy lettuce, like you would have in a Caesar Salad.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)

2 tbsp milk

100g fresh white breadcrumbs

4 spring onions, very finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley,

plus extra to garnish

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1 egg, beaten

500g turkey mince

Sunflower oil, for frying

For the sauce:

1 x 400g jar or tin of grilled mixed peppers

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

20g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Couscous

Method

1 To make the meatballs, heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat and sauté the sweetcorn for 2–3 minutes, until lightly blackened. Tip into a bowl and leave for a few minutes to cool down.

2 Sprinkle the milk over the breadcrumbs and allow to soften. Add the charred sweetcorn with the spring onions, garlic, parsley, cumin, garam masala and the egg.

3 Season generously and mix well, then gently mix in the turkey mince and shape into 20 walnut-sized meatballs.

4 To make the grilled mixed pepper sauce, drain the peppers and rinse well under the tap. Dry them on some kitchen paper.

5 Place the peppers into a food processor with the oil, coriander, garlic, vinegar and sweet chilli sauce. Season with salt and blitz until smooth. Season again to taste.

6 Transfer to a suitable container and set aside until needed. Keep extra portions in the fridge or freeze at this stage.

7 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat a layer of sunflower oil in the frying pan and sauté the meatballs in batches for about five minutes, turning them regularly with tongs until golden brown all over.

8 Transfer the meatballs to a baking tray and finish in the oven for another 5 minutes, until cooked through and golden.

9 To serve, arrange the meatballs on plates, then place on the couscous and drizzle over the grilled mixed pepper sauce, then garnish with the extra parsley.

Ingredients: Serves 4

4 large baking potatoes (each one 150–200g)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, very finely chopped

400g lean minced beef

4 tbsp tomato purée

3 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

300ml beef stock

100g cornichons, drained –

half diced, half thinly sliced

40g butter

100g red mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Chargrilled mini romaine or cos lettuce wedges

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and place them directly on an oven shelf. Bake for about one hour, until tender when gently squeezed. Once cool, these can be wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge or frozen.

2 Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Tip in the beef and season generously with salt and pepper. Quickly sauté until golden brown, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

3 Add the tomato purée, sugar, vinegar, mustard, honey and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well combined. Season to taste and pour in the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is nice and thick. Fold in the diced cornichons. This can be covered with cling film and kept in the fridge or is perfect for freezing.

4 Cut a cross in each baked potato and press down to reveal the flesh. Then put each one on a serving plate and lightly fluff up with a fork. Add a knob of butter to each one, then spoon over the mince. Scatter over the cheese and sprinkle with the spring onions. Flash back in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt, if liked.

5 Scatter over the shaved cornichons and add some chargrilled romaine or cos lettuce wedges to serve.

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