Turkey & stuffing meatballs, cranberry aioli, smashed potatoes and chocolate blondies

Turkey and stuffing is easy to pull together for a quick weeknight meal when made bite-sized and dippable. Serve it with smashed potatoes and creamy gravy, with a pan of warm chocolate blondies.

Ingredients

Smashed Potatoes

4 large thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk or cream
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
salt and pepper

Meatballs & Gravy

1 1/2 lb. (750 g) ground turkey
1 cup (250 ml) packaged stuffing or crushed croutons
1 large egg
salt and pepper
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
1 tbsp (15 ml) flour
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream

Cranberry Aioli

1/2 cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
1/3 cup (85 ml) cranberry sauce

Chocolate Blondies

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, melted
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 m) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
1/2–1 cup (125–250 ml) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F for the Blondies.

Put the potatoes into a medium  saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

While they’re cooking, get the turkey balls going. In a medium bowl, gently combine the turkey, dry stuffing mix or crushed croutons, egg, salt and pepper with your hands, and shape it into 1-inch balls. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the meatballs, rolling them around in the pan until they brown. Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, make the Blondie batter. Stir together the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl, then add the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until almost combined; add the chocolate and stir just until blended. Spread into an 8×8-inch pan and bake (they will finish while you eat dinner) for 20-25 minutes, until golden and set.

Once the meatballs are done cooking, transfer them to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Drain the excess fat from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon. Add the butter and flour and whisk to combine. Add the stock and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the mixture boils and thickens. Whisk in the sour cream and stir until it has the texture of creamy gravy. This whole process will only take a few minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan and roll them around to coat.

Drain the potatoes and roughly mash them with the milk, butter, salt and pepper using a potato masher.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and cranberry sauce to make the aioli.

Serve the meatballs and gravy on or alongside the smashed potatoes, with the cranberry aioli for dipping and the warm Blondies for dessert.

Serves 6, with leftover Blondies.

Per Serving:

651 calories, 29 g fat (15.6 g saturated fat, 9.5 g monounsaturated fat, 4.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 195 mg cholesterol, 63.5 g carbohydrate, 31 g protein, 3.3 g fibre.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, November/December 2015.