Alheira poultry sausage meatballs with apple sauce

Method

1. First, make a rosemary infusion: place 2 of the rosemary sprigs in a heatproof jug with the boiling water and leave to infuse.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then add the remaining rosemary and the chopped apple along with a few tablespoons of the rosemary infusion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and falling apart. Mash the mixture; if it seems too thick, thin it with a little more rosemary water. Add the sugar gradually, tasting as you go – you may not need all of it. Remove from the heat and keep warm while you cook the meatballs.
3. Split the sausage casings and remove the meat (discard the casings), then use your hands to roll 4–6 meatballs from each one. Place a wide, deep pan over a high heat and fill with about 5 cm of oil. When the oil is hot and shimmering, pour a little flour onto a plate, then roll each meatball in it. Carefully lower 4–5 meatballs into the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes before turning the meatballs and cooking for a further couple of minutes; when ready they will be golden all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve with the warm apple sauce.