Meatballs in tomato sauce and roast potatoes | Budget family meals
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
4 slices white bread £0.08
100 ml milk £0.05
500 g minced beef £1.49
¼ Spanish onion, finely chopped £0.03
1 garlic clove, finely chopped £0.02
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley £0.05
1 egg, beaten £0.08
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper £0.01
For the sauce
5 tablespoons good-quality olive oil £0.16
¾ Spanish onion, finely chopped £0.09
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped £0.08
1 tsp dried oregano £0.02
1 teaspoon sugar £0.01
1 tbsp vinegar £0.01
2 x 400-g tin chopped plum tomatoes £0.70
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper £0.01
For the potatoes
5 Tablespoons good-quality olive oil £0.16
1kg Potatoes £0.38
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper £0.01
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley £0.05
3 Sprigs of rosemary £0.32
TOTAL £3.81
Preparation
Wash and dice in about 3 cm cubes the potatoes
To make the meatballs, soak the bread in the milk and leave for a few minutes. Put the minced meat in a large shallow dish or baking tray and add the onion, garlic, parsley and seasoning. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add to the mixture, along with the beaten egg.
Knead the mixture with clean hands for a couple of minutes until the ingredients are well combined (don’t over work it or the meatballs will become rubbery). Roll the mixture into small balls, about the size of a walnut and place in a shallow roasting tin. The traditional way of cooking these is to fry them in batches in a little olive oil over a medium heat but I prefer to do it the easy way and roast them. Simply drizzle with a little olive oil and cook for 10 minutes in the oven at 200°C/gas mark 6.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the sugar, the vinegar, the salt, pepper and the chopped tomato tins. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Blend into a smooth sauce and cook together with the meatballs for a further 5 minutes before serving with the potatoes.
