Cheeseburger Meatballs with Oven Chips

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince, 10% fat works well
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 tbsp dill pickles, finely chopped
• 4 American-style burger cheese slices, chopped
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 900g Maris Piper potatoes, cut into thick chips
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
• 6 tbsp ketchup
• 200g frozen peas
• 15g butter

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Tip the chips onto a large baking tray, drizzle with the oil and scatter over the smoked paprika with a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss with your hands so every chip is coated — the paprika needs to bloom in the hot oil to taste of itself rather than dusty, so don't skip the toss. Spread in a single layer with space between each chip; crowding steams them, and steamed chips never crisp. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes until deep gold and crisp at the tips.
2. Meanwhile, tip the mince into a bowl with the breadcrumbs, beaten egg, chopped pickles, chopped cheese, mustard, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper. Season the mince properly now — meatballs you salt at the table are meatballs you've already lost. Mix with your hands until just combined; overworking makes them tough and bouncy. Roll into 16 meatballs, handling lightly so they stay tender.
3. Sit the meatballs on a lined baking tray with space between each one — don't crowd them or they'll steam in their own juices instead of taking on colour. Slide in alongside the chips for the final 18 to 20 minutes, until browned on top with clear juices running and pockets of melted cheese bubbling at the seams.
4. Warm the ketchup in a small pan with a splash of water until glossy and pourable, or serve straight from the bottle — no shame either way.
5. Bring a pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the peas for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain, return to the warm pan, and toss with the butter until glossy. Taste — they should be sweet, buttery and properly seasoned; adjust with salt now, not later.
6. Rest the meatballs for 2 minutes so the cheese pockets settle and the juices redistribute. Plate a heap of chips alongside the meatballs, spoon the buttery peas next to them, scatter the sliced dill pickles over the top and finish with a generous puddle of warm ketchup for dipping and drizzling.