Scandinavian-Style Pork & Apple Meatball Tray Bake

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Dice your waxy potatoes (skins on)

Add the diced potatoes to one side of a baking tray (or two!) with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt

Put the tray[s] in the oven for an initial 5 min

Meanwhile, drain your cooked beetroot and pat it dry with kitchen paper

Dice the beetroot

Remove the baking tray[s] from the oven and add the chopped beetroot to the other side of the tray[s]

Drizzle the beetroot with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt

Return the tray[s] to the oven for a further 10 min

While the potatoes and beetroot are in the oven, grate your apple[s] (skins on)

Add your fennel seeds to a pestle and mortar and grind them to a powder

Combine your mince (remove the paper if required!), panko breadcrumbs and chicken stock mix in a large bowl with the ground fennel seeds, grated apple and a generous pinch of pepper and give everything a good mix up

Divide the mince mixture and shape into meatballs (4 per person!) – these are your apple & fennel meatballs

Once the potatoes and beetroot have had a further 10 min, remove the tray[s] from the oven and add the apple & fennel meatballs on top of the potato

Return the tray[s] to the oven and cook for a final 15 min or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through (no pink meat!)

While everything is in the oven, peel your cucumber, discard the cucumber peelings

Cut the peeled cucumber in half, then scrape out the watery inner seeds with a teaspoon and discard

Slice the peeled cucumber halves finely

Pick your dill tops from the stalks and set them aside for garnish

Chop the dill stalks finely

Add the sliced cucumber, chopped dill stalks and your yellow mustard seeds to a small bowl with your white wine vinegar, 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside to pickle – this is your quick-pickled cucumber salad