Italian Meat Balls
Tender Italian meatballs of ground beef with grated raw potato, egg, Parmesan and oregano, oven-baked on racks and then simmered in sauce for an hour.
From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.
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Sandra Mills's secret for tender meatballs is a grated raw potato, skin and all, mixed into the ground beef with an egg, Parmesan and oregano. The meatballs are flattened slightly and baked on racks so the fat drips away and the juices are sealed in.
Then they simmer in her Simple Sauce for Pasta for an hour. She doubles or triples the recipe and freezes them in sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 small raw potato, unpeeled
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Simple Sauce for Pasta, for simmering
Instructions
- Mix. Place the ground beef in a bowl. Grate in the raw potato without peeling it. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together with your hands.
- Shape. Form into meatballs and flatten them slightly.
- Bake. Place on baking racks over a drip pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Simmer. Drop into sauce that has been cooking for 1 hour and cook for an additional hour. Serve over pasta of your choice.
Tips
- Freeze extra meatballs right in the sauce.
- Ground beef should reach 160°F; the long simmer guarantees it.
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