Open Sesame!

Polpette di Manzo e Cavolo con Sesamo & Patate-Dolce Fritte
Beef & Red Cabbage Sesame Meatballs & Sweet Potato Fries

So the question was: did I want to go out and buy rolls, so that I could use one to sandwich my burger in and then have the problem with what to do with the rest- or not? The answer was obviously "not", as you can see. Rather than making a simple burger and fries, I decided
to try something different with my last portion of ground beef- and I am glad that I did!

I decided I wanted to do something a little more spicy and quirky than a burger, so, thinking of the fillings I usually do when I make my Thai spring rolls, with shredded cabbage, I decided to use the last wedge of red cabbage that I had left over. I cut it into strips and then cut the strips into a very fine dice. I added this, along with some finely chopped spring onion, grated ginger, raisins, finely chopped parsley and some spicy paprika powder. I mixed these ingredients together well, added salt, pepper and a little squeeze of lime and then formed small patties out of the mix. The next thing I did, was to prepare a plate full of sesame seeds, which I pressed the meatballs into on one side only... and the next thing I knew, I was sizzling them away in non-stick pan with no added oil with the uncoated side down. This lets the fat escape and therefore eliminates the need for any extra. Fry at a moderate heat for 5-6 minutes before flipping them over. I then fried them for a further 2-3 minutes on the seeded side, then took them out and popped them into the oven to continue cooking whilst I prepared the sweet potatoes...

I sliced the sweet potato into fries and blanched them for around 1 minute in boiling, well-salted water. I then drained them, drizzled them very lightly with olive oil, seasoned them with ground sea salt which was flavored with fennel seeds, chili flakes, rosemary and a tiny amount of sugar and fried them for 2-3 minutes at a high heat. I then transferred them to the oven try that the meatballs were roasting in and carried on cooking them together.

After around 7-8 minutes in the oven, I turned on the broiler and gave everything a more pleasant golden color- and that was it! Spicy, savory and individual meatballs and some yummy and individual flavored fries... a perfect good-mood meal to kick off the weekend with! Enjoy!