Herbed Roquefort-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Apple Glaze and Salad Greens

Thank you to Lactalis for sponsoring this post. I am happy for the opportunity to share brands that I believe in with my readers, and I hope you enjoy my recipe for Herbed Roquefort-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Apple Glaze.

I have two favorite meals all year: Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinner. As much as I love the traditional turkey dinner we serve on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve is what I really look forward to all year long.

In my family, Christmas Eve dinner is a mélange of appetizers. Every year it changes though; sometimes we make our favorite classic apps and sometimes it’s a whole bunch of new stuff. As dynamic as this meal is, it’s always a crowd-pleaser because there is something for everyone.

In the past we’ve done different themes, such as Southwest Flavors or Middle Eastern Meze. This year’s theme is Rustic Elegance, which makes it the perfect spread for entertaining with on a special occasion when you still want to keep things just a bit more casual.

Individual Rosemary and Thyme Mushroom Galettes with Triple Crème Brie

I went all out with my Individual Rosemary and Thyme Mushroom Galettes with Triple Crème Brie. The pastry is tender, flaky, and flavorful, and creamy brie melted down onto the mushroom filling provides the right amount of richness and a nice compliment to the herbs and mushrooms. I’m not joking even a little when I say that could eat these galettes any time of day and be a happy girl. They go well paired with coffee for breakfast or a green salad for lunch…or as part of a beautiful festive dinner spread.

I promise these galettes are easier to make than you might think. Because I love you guys, I’m going to share a little tip with you: you can make both the pastry and the mushroom filling a day ahead and keep them in the fridge; roll out the dough and assemble the pastries on the day you want to bake and serve them. Head over to the ArtofCheese.com to check out the full recipe for my Individual Rosemary and Thyme Mushroom Galettes with Triple Crème Brie!

Also on the menu for my elegantly rustic Christmas Eve dinner are Herbed Roquefort-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Apple Glaze and a simple seasonal salad. There are some really festive flavors going on here, and blue cheese and cranberry apple sauce both play double duty to tie together the flavors in the meatballs and the salad.

I think meatballs are a really fun dish to serve at a party; I like to keep a little dish of wooden picks next to the meatballs so people can easily take a couple and walk around and mingle as they enjoy them. As for the salad, you can portion it out into small bowls so it’s easy for people to grab, but I like to keep it in a large bowl with a pair of salad tongs handy so people can take as much as they want. (And in keeping with my love of being able to get at least part of the work done ahead of time, be sure to take a look at my instructions on making the meatballs in advance, which I give in the Recipe Notes below.)

If you’d like to enter to win $50 worth of Président cheese, visit ArtOfCheese.com where you can download a coupon and enter the Pinterest sweepstakes, plus find more holiday recipes and product information.

Tell me, Dear Reader, what’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Herbed Roquefort-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Apple Glaze and Salad Greens

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 2 hours 0 min

Yield: 12 meatballs

Ingredients

Herbed Roquefort-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs:

1¼ lbs (567 g) lean ground turkey
½ cup (30 g) Panko breadcrumbs
½ small onion, grated
1 large egg yolk (white reserved for the filling)
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pack (3.5 oz/100 g) Societe Roquefort cheese
1 large egg white (reserved from making the meat mixture)
1 tablespoon olive oil, for the baking sheet

Cranberry Apple Glaze and Salad Dressing:

1 (8.5 oz/241 g) jar cranberry chutney, divided
¾ cup (177 ml) fresh 100% apple cider
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon raw, organic apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad:

6 cups (6 oz/170 g) mixed field greens
4 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans
4 tablespoons dried cranberries
½ pack (3.5 oz/100 g) Societe Roquefort cheese, crumbled
½ cup (120 ml) Cranberry Apple Salad Dressing

Instructions

For the meatballs, use your hands to mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, egg yolk, rosemary, sage, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper together in a large bowl, being careful not to over-mix. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
For the meatball filling, use a fork to mash the Roquefort cheese until relatively smooth (a few lumps are fine), adding up to 1 tablespoon of egg white as needed. Spoon this mixture onto the center of a piece of plastic wrap; roll the cheese up so it forms a little log and twist the ends of the plastic wrap to secure it. Freeze 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400F; line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Divide the meat into 12 equal portions and roll each into a ball; cut the cheese log into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. To stuff the meatballs, slightly flatten 1 meatball and place 1 ball of cheese in the center; fold the meat over the cheese so that the cheese is secured inside, re-forming it into a ball. Continue this process until all 12 meatballs are stuffed. Keep a small bowl of water next to you so you can dip your hands if the meat mixture starts sticking to them.
Line the meatballs up on the prepared baking sheet and bake until fully cooked, about 20 minutes, flipping each meatball over once halfway through cooking.
While the meatballs cook, make the Cranberry Apple glaze and salad dressing. Combine ⅔ of the jar of chutney and all other ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour out ½ cup and reserve it to use as the dressing for the salad. To make the glaze, pour the remaining dressing and the remaining ⅓ of the jar of chutney into a large skillet, bring it up to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer until it’s thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the meatballs are fully cooked add them to the glaze, stirring gently to coat, and then turn off the heat.
Serve the meatballs with a small container of toothpicks so people can enjoy them as they mingle.
For the salad, gently toss together all ingredients.

Notes

To Make This Dish Ahead: Roll and stuff the meatballs a day ahead, keep them in the fridge overnight, and bake them right before serving. Also, make the Cranberry Apple dressing the day before serving and keep it in the fridge overnight, and then make the glaze while the meatballs are cooking.

To Reheat This Dish: You can either gently microwave the meatballs with their glaze, or reheat them on the stovetop in a covered skillet.

Disclosure: I received the Président products that I used in this recipe for free, and I also received compensation from Lactalis for this post. I am happy for the opportunity to share brands that I believe in with my readers, and I hope you enjoy my recipe. As always, opinions stated are my own.