Two-Way Turkey

Until about a year ago I only associated turkey with my annual Christmas dinner, and didn't ever really think of it in any other way than accompanied with all the festive trimmings. Little did I know how versatile, low fat and delicious the festive bird could be!  That was until I came to uni and repeatedly found turkey mince in my beloved reduced aisle of Tesco and now I can't get enough of it. Lately I've been making big batches of food which serve about 4 and by the time I get to my third serving I'm sick of it, so with a big pack of turkey mince lingering in the freezer it was time to get creative. I decided to make two very different dishes with my 500g so that I could give my taste buds a bit of variety. So here are my recipes for Turkey & Sweet Potato Cottage Pie (a big twist on the British classic) and Thai Turkey Meatballs with Bulgur Risotto. 

Spicy Turkey, Bean & Sweet Potato Cottage Pie (Serves 3)

Start by frying half a chopped red onion with 250g of turkey mince and a little oil in a deep pan, stir fry for about 5 minutes until the turkey starts to turn white. Add half a tin of chopped tomatoes and a can of mixed beans in a spicy tomato sauce (you can buy this in Tesco). I also added a dash of hot chili powder to give it a bit of a kick. Also dice a red pepper and add this into the mix. Give the pan a good stir and when it starts to boil turn the heat down to a simmer. Whilst the filling is bubbling away peel and chop a large sweet potato and then pop in a pan with boiling water for about 10 minutes until the potato is soft. Once cooked, drain the water and mash the potato with a splash of milk and a good shake of black pepper. Spoon the turkey mixture into a deep glass dish then top with the mashed potato mixture, if you like grate a little cheese on top (I used half fat to keep the dish healthy) then pop into the oven on a medium temperature for 20 minutes and its done! Serve with vegetables on the side if you like but it's tasty enough on its own. 

Thai Style Turkey Meatballs with Bulgur Wheat Risotto (Serves 2)

Finely chop half a red onion and fry in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of grated ginger for a couple of minutes until the onion starts to cook. Then in a bowl mix 250g turkey mince with one finely chopped red chili and add the onion and ginger once its cooled slightly, mix all of the ingredients well. Wet your hands (this will stop the meat from sticking to your hands) and roll the mixture in your palms into 16 small meatballs. Place the balls onto a baking tray and grill for about 10 minutes on a medium heat until the meatballs start to brown slightly. 

Whilst the balls are cooking, fry the other half of the red onion and a crushed clove of garlic in a pan with a little oil. Once cooked add 100g of bulgur wheat, 250ml of chicken stock & a teaspoon of chili powder and let the mixture simmer away for 5 minutes. Then add 100g of sugarsnap peas, a handful of spinach and a couple splashes of lemon juice. Give the mixtures a good stir, it may start to stick to the bottom of the pan so add a splash more water if needed. Once the bulgur wheat has cooked (this will probably take about 10 minutes) add the meatballs to the risotto and its ready to serve!

Enjoy!