Meatballs in Tomato and Chorizo Sauce with Spicy Potatoes - Gastropub

Yep, this is yet another meal from the M&S Gastropub range.  Every mouthful is totally delicious.  

The meatballs are coated in a rich and tasty tomato and chorizo sauce and accompanied by crispy, spicy potatoes.
If the list of stuff looks long and too much to do, it's only because I've broken it down into three parts for each bit of the meal.


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The following will serve two people:
For the sauce:
A glug of oil
1 onion
2 fat cloves of garlic
½ a red chilli ? seeds in
½ a red bell pepper
1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes ? good quality ones or the juice will be tasteless and watery
¼ of the empty tomato can of red wine
½ a teaspoon of smoked paprika
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
½ of a chorizo ring (about 8 inches in length)
Another ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to serve

For the meatballs:
400g minced pork ? no more than about 10% fat
2 fat cloves of garlic
1 onion
Freshly chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes you will need:
However many potatoes you fancy making
A couple of teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste

To make the sauce:
Whiz the onion, garlic, chilli red pepper in a food processor.
Heat a glug of oil in a flame proof dish or large frying pan.  Add the whizzed up ingredients and cook over a low heat until the onion is nice and soft but not coloured.  You?ll need to keep stirring as you don?t want it to burn.

Add the paprika, and give it a stir.  Now stir in the tin of tomatoes including the juice and the Worcester sauce.  
Use the empty can to measure out about a ¼ of the can of red wine.
Simmer until it?s a nice consistency ? not to thick or thin.

Heat a tiny amount of oil in a separate frying pan and add the other ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika.  
Fry the diced chorizo until it looks nice and is getting on for crispy.   
Tip the chorizo into the pan with the tomatoes etc.  Don't fuss about washing the frying pan as you can use it in a
bit to fry the meatballs.
Give it a good stir and turn off the heat until you?re everything else is ready.

To make the meatballs:
Whiz the onion and garlic in a food processor and tip into a largish mixing bowl.
Stir in the cumin and chopped parsley along with a little salt and some pepper.
Mix in the minced pork gently with a fork.  Don?t over mix or the meet will go horrid and ?over processed? looking.
You can fry off a tiny bit of the mixture to taste, if you want, to make sure the seasoning is right.
When you?re happy, shape into about 10 or 12 meatballs using your hands and put them on a plate to one side.
If you?re not cooking them straight away you will need cover them with cling film and refrigerate them.


When you are ready to cook them:
Heat up the pan you fried the chorizo in and a tiny bit more oil if you really need it.  Fry the meatballs for about 10 minutes turning and frying till they are cooked through and as evenly browned as you can get them.

Remove from the heat and put them in the sauce - ready to heat through when you're ready for them.

For the potatoes:
Peel enough potatoes as you fancy and cut them into smallish cubes - about 2cm or an inch.
Pour a glug or two of olive oil into a large mixing bowl and add some salt, pepper and say 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.  
Give it a stir and stir in the potatoes ? making sure they?re well coated with the oil and the seasoning.

Tip them onto a preheated baking tray and bake on the middle shelf for about 40 to 45 minutes.  
After the first 15 minutes give them a mix around so they colour on both sides.
As cooking times of potatoes vary depending on the variety used the time could differ.  
  You want them to be cooked through and are a nice colour.

Serve immediately and sprinkle with the chopped parsley whilst everything is piping hot.