Tender & Juicy Meatballs with Potatoes in the Oven

The thing with oven baked meatballs is that we often get them dry and hard. As there is a secret to everything, there is a secret to meatballs too. Here's a recipe for you to create the most tender and juicy oven meatballs you ever had! 

For 6 persons

Ingredients
For the meatballs

600 gr. minced veal

1 big onion, finely chopped and sauted in oive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and sauted in oive oil
80 gr. breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 tbsp. mustard

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 ripe tomato, proccesed or very finely chopped

1/3 cup of water

1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tbsp. cumin
4-5 tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

For the rest of the recipe
1 & 1/2 kg. potatoes, cut in big slices
2-3 tbsp. mustard
1 big pinch of sumac*
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

* Sumac is a spice that we use a lot in oriental cooking. It has a deep red color and a sweet and sour taste. It goes well with oven potatoes.

Preparation

Work well by hands all the meatball ingredients. Cover them with a film and put them in the fridge for about an hour. Place the potatoes on a sheet, add the mustard, the olive oil, the sumac, the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and mix well with your hands to marinade the potatoes.
Using oil on your hands, form around 13 to 14 meatballs. Press to flatten them a little and then place them on the potatoes, as shown in the picture. Preheat the oven at 180° C (350° F) and bake them for 1 hour and 15 min. On half time, turn over the meatballs. 

Enjoy!