Nothing stresses me out more than not knowing what to cook! While I love to pour through recipe books – I find that exactly like dress shopping, when you aren’t looking for something there are a million things you would make but when you need to decide on what to cook that evening nothing looks good or feels just right. I wanted something warm and tasty without a huge amount of effort. I am still a bit jet lagged from filming last week and I feel like my house is just getting back to normal so I didn’t want to make something too elaborate during the week.

Gorgeous meatballs sitting on a bed of creamy mash

What I love about this recipe is the inclusion of Ricotta cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese in the meat mixture, along with Sage – which infuses its delicate flavour through the sauce and the meatballs. Nothing says comfort food more than a warm bowl of creamy buttery mashed potatoes smothered in meatballs and their sauce….well worth the effort. All plates were cleaned completely – my fussy eater, my little foodie, my husband and the toddlers too! Hope your family enjoys as much as mine.

Happy cooking xx

Ingredients
400 g pork mince
400 g veal mince
150 g ricotta cheese
3 cloves garlic sliced finely
4-6 fresh sage leaves diced finely
2 tbs chopped parsley
40 g grated Pecorino Romano cheese (use parmesan if you cannot find)
2 tbs breadcrumbs
1 egg lightly beaten

Olive oil
1 onion diced finely
5 fresh sage leaves
750 ml tomato passata
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste

Method
To make the meatballs combine the minces, ricotta, garlic, diced sage leaves, parsley, romano, breadcrumbs, and egg and season well. Shape into small balls and chill while you make the sauce.

Large marble sized meatballs rolled and ready to go

To make the sauce:
1. Heat the olive oil in a deep wide saucepan and add 2 of the sage leaves and fry until crisp – remove and set aside;

2. add the onions to the pan and saute until softened

3. add the tomato paste and mix until combined, followed by the canned tomatoes and the passatta

4. add the rest of the sage leaves and season well

5. reduce the heat to low, cover and leave to simmer while you complete the meatballs

Assembly:

1. Pan fry the meatballs until brown on all sides – dont worry about cooking them through they will finish off in the sauce
2. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and for some added decadence shred some Romano cheese on top

Creamy mash
1. Peel 6 large potatoes and slice roughly into squares (cutting the potatoes before boiling makes them cook faster)
2. Boil in salted water until cooked, drain and return to the pan
3. Add 50 g of butter and mash with a potato masher
4. Add 1/2 cup thickened or pure cream and continue mashing until creamy
5. Season with salt and white pepper
6. Serve immediately.