Meatballs in onion and rosemary sauce with sugar snap peas and potato straws

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g minced meat, half and half
• 1 shallot(s), finely diced
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely diced
• 2 tbsp chives, in rolls
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 m.-sized onion(s)
• 12 m.-sized potatoes
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves
• 300 ml chicken broth
• Olive oil, flavored *
• butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp chives, in rolls

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Thoroughly knead the minced meat with the diced shallots and garlic, the chives, and the baking powder. Season to taste with pepper and salt, then let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Peel the onions, peel and dice 3 potatoes. Sauté both in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the stock, add 2 rosemary sprigs, and two peeled garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, and simmer gently for 1 hour over low heat with the lid on. Remove the rosemary sprigs and puree the onion and potato mixture. Season to taste with a little olive oil, 1 teaspoon of butter, pepper, and salt. Strip the needles from a rosemary sprig, chop them very finely, and fold them into the puree. Shape the meat dough into patties of the desired size and fry them on both sides in hot olive oil. Then cook over low heat with the pan lid half closed. Cooked this way, the meatballs won’t be crispy, but they will develop a very nice aroma. If you prefer your meatballs crispy, leave the lid off and continue cooking at medium heat after searing. Grate the remaining potatoes into fine strips using a julienne grater and fry in hot olive oil until crispy. Then add a little salt. Thread the snow peas if necessary, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, refresh in ice-cold water, drain well, and dry on kitchen paper. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan, toss the snow peas in it, and season with a pinch of sugar and a little salt. Pour a layer of sauce onto the plates, place the meatballs in it, arrange the potato straws and snow peas on top, and sprinkle everything with chives. * I’m increasingly using my own flavored olive oil. Press a large rosemary sprig, 3-4 thyme sprigs, and 3 peeled, fresh garlic cloves into a half-liter bottle and fill with olive oil. After letting it rest for a few days, it develops a wonderful aroma, saving me the trouble of roasting it with crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme sprigs in a roasting pan and skillet.