Beef Meatballs with Creamy Mash

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef
• 1 egg
• 50g gluten-free breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil (for frying)
• 300ml beef stock (low-FODMAP)
• 1 tbsp cornflour (to thicken)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 800g potatoes, peeled and chunked
• 50g unsalted butter
• 150ml warmed lactose-free milk
• 120g baby spinach
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the minced beef, cooked red lentils, egg, gluten-free breadcrumbs, chopped chives, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Season generously — this is your one chance to season the meat itself. Mix until just combined; overworked mince goes tight and bouncy. Roll into 16 even meatballs and chill for 10 minutes so they hold their shape in the pan.
2. Put the potatoes and celeriac into cold, well-salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until a knife slides through with no resistance, 15–18 minutes. Drain thoroughly and let the steam blow off for a minute — wet potatoes mean gluey mash. Return to the pan, add the butter and the warmed lactose-free milk, and mash to a smooth, glossy texture. Taste and adjust the salt now, while it's hot, and keep covered.
3. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large stainless or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer with space between them — crowd the pan and they'll steam in their own juices instead of browning. Work in two batches if your pan's on the smaller side. Don't touch them for the first 3 minutes; let the crust set, then turn every 4–5 minutes so they colour deeply on all sides, about 12–14 minutes total. They're done at 75°C internal, with a deep mahogany crust all over. Lift onto a warm plate.
4. Bloom the smoked paprika clinging to the pan briefly in the residual oil — 20 seconds, until it smells warm and sweet rather than dusty. Pour off any excess fat, leaving the brown stuck bits on the base; that fond is half your gravy's flavour. Pour in the beef stock and scrape the base clean with a wooden spoon. Whisk the cornflour with a splash of cold water, stir it in with the Dijon, and simmer gently until glossy and coating the back of a spoon, 3–4 minutes. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
5. Tip the baby spinach into the warm mash pan with a spoonful of the gravy and fold through for 30–60 seconds, just until collapsed and still bright green. Any longer and it goes khaki.
6. Return the meatballs to the gravy, spoon it over to coat, and let them warm through for a minute.
7. Spoon the creamy mash and wilted spinach onto warm plates, arrange 3–4 meatballs on each portion and spoon the glossy mustard gravy over the top. Scatter with extra chopped chives and fresh parsley, then finish each plate with a squeeze of lemon — the acid cuts through the butter and the rich gravy and lifts everything you've just built.