Our dad loved to cook for our mom so very much, and his favorite day to do so was on their anniversary. In fact, every year for as long as we can remember, he’d make her what he called Husband’s Braised Meatballs. He would take his time in the kitchen, perfecting the tender, savory, juicy balls of beef that he’d braise in a rich tomato sauce. Her favorite side dish was mashed potatoes, so he created the creamiest and most flavorful Gruyère and spinach version anyone has ever tasted. He always bought her favorite flowers and placed them next to the plate he beautifully dished out for her. His great love for her really shined through in this amazing meal. Now, we make his Husband’s Braised Meatballs every year to celebrate their love, and we hope that you make as many sweet memories with this recipe as we have!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 (6-ounce) piece day-old French bread, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 3/4 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- all-purpose flour, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
For the mashed potatoes:
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/4 cups warm whole milk, plus more, to taste
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Combine the bread and 1 cup of the milk in a medium bowl, pressing on the bread to submerge it, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Step 3 –Squeeze out most of the milk from the bread and discard the milk.
Step 4 –In a large bowl, add the moistened bread, the ground beef, the eggs, the onion, the parsley, 2 teaspoons of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, and the thyme and use your hands to mix until well-combined.
Step 5 –Form the beef mixture into 1-3/4-inch meatballs and place them in two 13×9-inch glass baking dishes.
Step 6 –Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes.
Step 7 –Let the meatballs cool slightly.
Step 8 –Dust the meatballs with the flour and shake off the excess.
Step 9 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil and cook until the butter melts.
Step 10 –Add the meatballs to the skillet.
Step 11 –In a bowl, whisk the wine and the tomato paste together.
Step 12 –Add the wine mixture to the meatballs, bring to a boil, and cook, while stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
Step 13 –Add the broth to the meatballs and reduce the heat to medium.
Step 14 –Simmer the meatballs until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
Step 15 –Season the meatballs with the salt and the pepper to taste.
Step 16 –While the meatballs are simmering, cook the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until they are very tender.
Step 17 –Add the remaining butter and 1 1/4 cups of the warm milk to the potatoes, then mash and stir to incorporate. Add the extra milk if needed until the desired texture is reached.
Step 18 –Stir the Gruyère cheese and the spinach into the mashed potatoes until the cheese melts and the spinach wilts.
Step 19 –Season the mashed potatoes with the salt and the pepper to taste.
Step 20 –Serve the meatballs over the mashed potatoes.
