Lamb Rissoles with Mashed Potato and Rosemary Gravy

 Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Kid's Cooking book, page 50

Ingredients

500g lamb mince
1 large brown onion, grated coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g potatoes
20g butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
250g cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Using hands, combine lamb, onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Shape lamb mixture into eight patties.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat; cook rissoles both sides, four at a time, about 15 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper; cover with foil to keep warm. Reserve pan with rissole drippings.
3. Meanwhile, boil, steam or microwave potatoes until tender; drain. Mash potatoes in medium bowl with potato masher; stir in butter.
4. Cook flour in rissole pan, stirring, until mixture browns and bubbles. Gradually stir in stock; stir until gravy boils and thickens. Strain gravy; stir in rosemary.
5. Meanwhile, cook tomatoes, stirring, in heated small frying pan about 2 minutes or until split and just softened.
6. Divide potatoes among serving plates, top with rissoles then with rosemary gravy and tomatoes.

Notes & Tips

If you're feeling lazy and don't want to use a potato masher to mash up the potatoes, try using a hand mixer. A friend of mine provided me with this useful tip and to my surprise, the potatoes turned out really nice and fluffy. Start off with the low setting initially to break the potatoes up then increase the speed to combine the butter and potatoes together. Be careful to not mix them for too long or you might run the risk of turning your mashed potato into sticky, wallpaper paste!