Bitterballen 🇳🇱 Ingredients 1kg beef chuck 1 tsp salt, divided 1 tbsp tallow 1 brown onion 1 carrot 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise 3 bay leaves 1 tsp whole black peppercorns 7 cloves garlic 1L beef stock 0.5 tsp grated nutmeg 1 tsp cracked black pepper 120g unsalted butter 120g flour (for roux) small handful of parsley 400g flour (for coating and dusting) 400g breadcrumbs 5 eggs, beaten tallow or oil, for frying dijon mustard to serve Method Step 1: Cook the beef Set the oven to 180ºC. Slice the beef into 4cm (1 ½ inch) cubes. Lightly season with salt on all sides. Peel the onion and slice into quarters. Slice the carrot into ½ cm thick pieces and set aside. Place a large Dutch oven on high heat and add the beef tallow. Once the tallow is hot, add the beef in a single layer and sear for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown on one side. Turn the beef to sear the other side for 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, black peppercorns, garlic cloves, onion and carrot. Add the stock and bring to a simmer before fitting the Dutch oven with a lid and transferring to the preheated oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours. The beef is ready when you can easily crush the cubes against the side of the pot. If they are still tough, pop them back in the oven for a further 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest the meat in the pot for 1 hour. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Pass the sauce through a sieve and weigh out 700ml of the braising liquid. Use a fork to pull the meat into fine strands. Step 2: The filling Finely slice the parsley and set aside. Clean the Dutch oven then place over a low heat. Melt the butter in the pot then whisk in the flour to cook the roux for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the 700ml of braising liquid in 2 to 3 additions, whisking continuously until the sauce is thick and smooth. Continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, then pour over the shredded beef. Add the chopped parsley, cracked pepper and nutmeg. Stir though, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Transfer the mixture to a deep oven dish to cool down in the fridge until set. Step 3: Roll and fry Lightly flour a chopping board. Remove the set mixture from the tray and turn out onto the floured board. Slice the filling into 36 even sized cubes. Use clean hands to roll each cube into a ball. Set up three trays, one for flour, one for whisked eggs and one for breadcrumbs. Season each tray with a pinch of salt and whisk through. Roll each ball in the flour and dust off. Coat in the egg then roll each ball in the breadcrumbs. Half fill a saucepan with oil and place over a medium heat until the oil reaches 180ºC. Add the crumbed balls, 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown and hot in the centre. Drain on a paper towel and season with salt. - @andy_cooks