Sicilian-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Rosemary Potatoes

Serves - 4

You’ll need

For the rosemary potatoes

• 1kg Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, skin on and lightly crushed
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the meatballs

• 500g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 50g Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
• 1 small onion, very finely diced or grated
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• A good few turns of black pepper
• Olive oil, for frying

For the tomato sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or less if you’d like it gentler
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 x 400g tins good chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Small handful basil leaves, torn
• 1 tsp sugar, if needed
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the potatoes going

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and parboil the potatoes for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just starting to soften. Drain them well, then give them a little shake in the colander to rough up the outsides – this is where the good texture begins.

Tip them into a roasting tray with the olive oil, rosemary, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Toss well, then roast for 45–55 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden, crisp and properly handsome.

2. Make the meatballs

While the potatoes are roasting, put the beef mince, pork mince, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a large bowl.

Mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined, but don’t go at it like you’re kneading bread – overworking them makes them tough. Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs. You should get around 16–20.

3. Brown the meatballs

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches so they colour nicely on the outside. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage – just nicely bronzed. Set aside on a plate as you go.

4. Build the sauce

In the same pan, turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil if needed. Add the onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.

Add the tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes, then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Add the oregano, a little salt and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce tastes rounded and rich rather than sharp. If it still feels a bit acidic, add the teaspoon of sugar. Stir through most of the basil.

5. Finish the meatballs in the sauce

Return the browned meatballs to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Cover loosely and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, turning them once halfway through, until cooked through and tender.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Scatter over the remaining basil just before serving.

To serve

Pile the rosemary potatoes onto plates or a big serving dish, spoon over the meatballs and plenty of sauce, and finish with a little extra Parmesan if you like. A bitter green salad on the side would not be remotely unwelcome, but this is already doing plenty.

A couple of helpful notes

- You can make the meatballs earlier in the day and keep them chilled until needed.
- The sauce actually improves if it sits for a bit, so this is a very good dish for low-stress hosting.
- A splash of red wine in the sauce would be entirely respectable, but it doesn’t need it.