Sticky Bourbon Meatballs with Mash

Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince
• 250 g pork mince
• 60 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 15 g parsley, chopped
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 75 ml bourbon
• 50 g brown sugar
• 100 g ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 800 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 50 g butter
• 100 ml milk, warmed

Method

1. Get the mash going first; it forgives waiting, the meatballs don't. Drop the peeled, quartered potatoes into a pan of cold, well-salted water (it should taste balanced before you move on), bring to the boil and simmer for 15–18 minutes until a knife slides through with no resistance. Starting them in cold water means they cook evenly from edge to centre.
2. Drain thoroughly and return to the dry pan over a low flame for a minute to steam off any clinging water; wet potatoes make gluey mash. Mash with the butter and warmed milk until silky. Season generously with salt and pepper, lid on, set aside.
3. Mix the meatballs in a large bowl: both minces, breadcrumbs, beaten egg, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and parsley. Season the mixture properly with salt and pepper before it hits the pan; under-seasoned mince stays under-seasoned no matter what glaze you put on it. Mix with your hands until just bound; the mix should feel tacky and hold together, but stop the moment it does. Overworked mince turns dense and bouncy.
4. Roll into 16 even meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the meatballs in two batches; crowd the pan and the temperature drops, water leaches out, and you've stewed them grey instead of building that deep mahogany crust.
5. Turn each meatball as it releases (about 6–8 minutes per batch) until caramelised on all sides and springy to the touch. Lift them out onto a plate. Those dark stuck bits on the pan base are the foundation of the glaze; leave them.
6. Drop the heat to medium. Return all the meatballs to the pan, push them to one side and pour in the bourbon to deglaze, scraping up the fond with a wooden spoon (stand back; it may flame for a few seconds, that's the alcohol burning off). Once the bourbon has reduced by half, stir in the brown sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Roll the meatballs through the sauce and simmer gently for 6–8 minutes, turning often, until the glaze is glossy, syrupy and clinging thickly to each meatball.
8. Cut one meatball open to check there's no pink inside. Taste the sauce; it should be sweet, smoky and tangy. Add salt to sharpen the sweetness or Worcestershire sauce for more depth.
9. Pile the buttery mash into the centre of warm plates, crown with the hot sticky meatballs, spoon over every last drop of glaze, scatter generously with the extra chopped parsley and finish with a crack of black pepper.