Baked Meatballs with Potatoes

The baked meatballs with potatoes are a comforting and tasty dish. Here’s the recipe to make them, with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 500 g of ground meat (mixed beef and pork if you prefer a richer taste)
• 2 eggs
• 80 g of breadcrumbs
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Fresh parsley to taste
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 kg of potatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Fresh rosemary to taste (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 200 °C.
2. Prepare the meatballs by mixing in a bowl the ground meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, finely chopped garlic, chopped fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
3. Form the meatballs into the size of a walnut and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into regular pieces, not too large to ensure even cooking.
5. In a bowl, season the potatoes with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and, if you wish, some chopped fresh rosemary.
6. Distribute the potatoes on the same baking sheet as the meatballs, around them, so that the potatoes can also absorb the flavors released during cooking.
7. Bake everything and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden and the potatoes are cooked. Halfway through cooking, you can turn the meatballs and stir the potatoes to ensure an even browning.
8. Once cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Meatballs are a classic of Italian cuisine, but variations are found in many culinary cultures around the world. In Italy, meatballs are traditionally served as a second course or, in a reduced version, as part of a pasta dish. Baking is a lighter variant compared to the classic frying.

Enjoy your meal!