This recipe serves 4 

Ingredients for the beef meatballs:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 slices of slightly stale bread

• 500g beef mince

• 1 medium carrot, grated

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

• A couple of sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

• A grating of nutmeg or a pinch of ground nutmeg

• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

• 60g butter1 onion, peeled and cut in half

• SaltGrated cheese to serve

Ingredients for the garlic potatoes:

• 800g potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1cm cubes

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper

• You will also need a large clean plastic bag.

How to make the Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce:

1. First, make the tomato sauce. Put the tins of tomatoes, butter, onion cut in half and a couple of pinches of salt in a saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium and bring to a simmer (when bubbles slowly start to form on the top of the sauce).

2. Cook the sauce uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until it is quite thick.

3. Meanwhile, make the Beef Meatballs. Heat the teaspoon oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a medium heat until it is soft and cooked. Put it on a cold plate to cool down.

4. Whizz up the bread in a food processor until you have breadcrumbs.

5. In a large bowl combine the beef mince, grated carrot, breadcrumbs, cooked onion, garlic, beaten eggs, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Mix very well with your hands.

6. Once it is well mixed, take small amounts of the mixture and roll it into ping pong sized balls. Coat in a little flour if it is very sticky.

7. Once the sauce is cooked remove the two onion halves and whizz it up until it is smooth with a stick blender or food processor.

8. Put the sauce in a wide pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Put the meatballs in and cook for about 15 minutes until cooked through.

How To make the Garlic Potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/200 degrees fan. Put a baking tray for roasting the potatoes on into the oven.

2. Put the chopped potatoes, olive oil, chopped garlic and rosemary into a large bowl. Add some salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands to make sure the potatoes are completely covered in the oil and seasonings.

3. Take the hot baking tray out of the oven and spread the potatoes out on the baking tray.

4. Roast the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

5. Serve the garlic potatoes with meatballs in tomato sauce, a sprinkling of cheese and some green salad.

Copyright Erin Bunting, March 2017. Tomato sauce recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan’s classic recipe.