Baked Meatballs with Potatoes

Serves 6 · 30′ prep, 60′ in the oven. The whole thing cooks in one tray: the potatoes get a 30-minute head start, then the meatballs go on top for the second half and drip into them. The bread is blitzed with the herbs rather than soaked, and the grated onion goes in without its liquid so the mixture stays firm enough to roll.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg potatoes
• 2 tsp oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Lemon juice
• 150 g water
• 500 g minced beef
• 120 g sandwich bread
• 10 mint leaves
• ¼ bunch parsley
• 50 g whole milk
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1–2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp oregano
• 6 g salt
• 1 onion
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Wash and trim the herbs and vegetables. Leave the potatoes unpeeled — the skin stays on.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 °C, fan.
3. Cut the potatoes into wedges and put them in a roasting tray.
4. Add the oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and turn everything over well with a spoon.
5. Roast for 30 minutes. They won't be done at this point — they get another 30 minutes with the meatballs — so use this time to make the meatball mixture.
6. Tear the bread into large pieces by hand and drop them into a food processor.
7. Add the mint and parsley and blitz until the herbs are broken down and the bread is fine crumbs. Tip it all into a large bowl.
8. Add the minced beef, milk, vinegar, egg, olive oil, bicarbonate of soda, oregano, salt, and pepper.
9. Grate the onion into a separate bowl on the coarse side of a box grater.
10. Spoon the onion into the meat, leaving the liquid it has released behind in the bowl.
11. Mix by hand until evenly combined, then roll 28 meatballs of about 30 g each.
12. Take the tray out of the oven and arrange the meatballs over the potatoes.
13. Pour the water into the tray, return it to the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
14. Take it out and serve.