Parma Ham and Cranberry Stuffing Meatballs

• fresh cranberries↗12 ounces
• sugar↗6 tablespoons
• water↗7⁄8 cup
• butter↗1 ounce
• shallots↗6

  finely chopped

• garlic cloves↗4

  chopped

• fresh sage↗1 bunch

  finely chopped

• fresh thyme↗6 sprigs

  leaves picked

• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• sausage meat↗1 1⁄4 lbs
• streaky bacon↗14 ounces

  finely chopped

• fresh white breadcrumbs↗7 ounces
• walnuts↗4 tablespoons

  lightly crushed (optional)

• lemon↗1

  zest of, finely grated

• prosciutto↗16 slices
• vegetable oil, for dabbing↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Put the cranberries and the sugar in a small saucepan. Add in the water and stir, then heat until bubbling gently and stir again until the sugar has dissolved.

2. 2

   Turn off the heat and leave to go cold. The berries should have softened and deflated slightly.

3. 3

   Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add in shallots and garlic and fry gently until the shallots have softened but not coloured. Remove from heat.

4. 4

   Mix in the sage and thyme then season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

5. 5

   Mix in the sausage meat, minced bacon, breadcrumbs, walnuts and lemon zest. Use your fingers and make sure everything is well mixed together.

6. 6

   Drain away the syrup from the cranberries, then stir the berries into the stuffing mix.

7. 7

   Shape the stuffing into 8 balls, each the size of a large golf ball.

8. 8

   Wrap each one in two slices of prosciutto. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to firm up, ideally overnight.

9. 9

   Once the turkey has finished roasting, preheat the oven to 400°F Remove the plastic wrap from the stuffing balls and place them across a shallow roasting tin, leaving lots of space between them.

10. 10

    Dab them all over with a little oil and roast for 30 minutes or so until crisped and cooked through.