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Monday, September 6, 2010

Herbed Meatballs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Caitlyn said meatballs and mashed potatoes were a weird combination. Like I was ludicrous for wanting that. But I had my mind set. I wanted that for dinner and I was going to make it happen. Once my V children woke up from their naps, we made a mad dash for the grocery store. An onion and ground beef and I was in business.

Turns out meatballs and mashed potatoes are incredibly satisfying. Like along the lines of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. These meatballs are loaded with flavor from fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. The mashed potatoes are garlicky and buttery, the way every potato longs to live it's life.

Not only was this dish a huge hit with the kids, Ethan also gave it his complete approval. It was so good that for lunch the next day, I had to hide the leftovers from my kids so
I could have it all for myself.




For the meatballs
:
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
1 lb ground beef
3 Tbsp grated onion
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Set oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine Parmesan, herbs and bread crumbs. Mix well. Stir in eggs and milk. Add ground beef, grated onion, salt and pepper. With your hands, gently mix. Do not overmix.

With a small cookie scoop, scoop the meat mixture and then with your hands, gently roll it into a ball. Set on the baking sheet and repeat. Bake for 20 minutes.

Yields 20 meatballs.

For the mashed potatoes
:
6 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup half and half
4 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes well and pour into a large mixing bowl. While the potatoes are boiling, add half and half, butter and garlic cloves to a small saucepan over medium heat and melt butter, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.

With a potato ricer or hand mixer, mash potatoes until smooth. Discard garlic cloves and pour half and half mixture over the potatoes and add salt and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, fold the potatoes over themselves, combining all ingredients. Be sure to not overmix. Serve potatoes with a few meatballs over the top.

Yields 4 servings.

Rookie's Notes: When I say chopped fresh herbs for the meatballs, anything goes. Do a combination of whatever you want. I did parsley and basil. Ideas? Basil, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, mint, tarragon.

With the garlic, I just used it to infuse flavor into the butter and half and half. But if you like garlic, you can mince the cloves and add them to the potatoes instead of simmering them with the butter and half and half.


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4 comments:

Finla said...

Sounds and looks delicous. A fav in my place meat balls and potato mash.

HollyElise said...

It is yet to be noon here, I just ate breakfast, and reading this recipe has made me hungry...

Sounds amazing, Whitney!!

Michele said...

OK...first off, I just burst out laughing when I read your comment info. Brilliant. Second...I personally think ANYTHING tastes good with mashed potatoes. Love them. My kids are also meatball fans, so I am totally going to make this for dinner this week. Thanks!

Toni said...

I know you saw my blog post recreating these in my dutch oven, so you know how much I loved these meatballs. But I really have to give you some serious kudos. You are an amazingly talented cook and I just ADORE your blog. Some of my best recipes are actually yours, just don't tell my family. We'll keep that our little secret! ;)