Oven-baked vegetables with meatballs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g potato(s), waxy
• 300 g carrot(s)
• 1 onion(s), sliced
• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs of thyme, or 2 – 3 tsp dried
• 1 tbsp honey
• 150 ml tomato(s), pureed, if you prefer, you can also use chunky tomatoes
• 1 dash of olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 egg(s), size M
• 2 tsp broth, granulated
• 1 tsp mustard
• some breadcrumbs

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Wash, peel, and slice the potatoes. Wash, peel, and slice the carrots into approximately 2cm thick slices. Place the potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions in a greased baking dish, then add the vinegar, honey, and olive oil (a generous splash), pepper, salt, thyme, and tomatoes, and mix everything well. Bake in the oven at 200°C on the middle rack for approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent the vegetables from drying out. While the vegetables are cooking in the oven, prepare the stuffing for the meatballs. Mix the minced meat with the egg, mustard, granulated stock, and pepper (you can add a little more salt if you like, but be careful, as the stock is already salty). Shape the kneaded mince into approximately 3cm balls and roll them in breadcrumbs, then fry them all over in a little oil. After the 30 minutes of cooking time in the oven, place the meatballs on top of the vegetables and return everything to the oven for another 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them. You can cover them with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes if desired. Add a little olive oil, if desired. Tip: You can also use other vegetables to use up leftovers. However, be sure to keep in mind that the different vegetables need different cooking times and may even need to blanch them beforehand.