Polpette (Italian Meatballs)

1. Combine sausage, ground beef, shallot, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground meat and roughly mix ingredients together. Stir in beaten eggs, milk, and black pepper. Use your hands to mix all ingredients well.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

3. Pour water into a shallow bowl, and moisten fingertips and palms with water. Shape meatball mixture into about 40 ping-pong sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pan. When fingers become sticky, dip them in water.

4. Bake meatballs in the preheated oven until lightly browned and a bit underdone in the center, about 20 minutes. If meatballs are larger, adjust baking time.

5. Pour tomato purée into a large sauce pot or a Dutch oven set over medium-low heat. Stir in minced garlic and Italian herbs. Sample the sauce for seasoning, and adjust, if needed.

6. When sauce begins to bubble slightly, add meatballs and stir gently, coating all the meatballs with sauce. Keep meatballs and sauce at a low simmer and cook, uncovered, about 20 minutes.

7. To serve, place meatballs and sauce on a plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cook's Note:

No salt is added in the meatballs because the sweet Italian sausage, seasoned breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese add quite a bit of salt. Taste finished dish and season with salt if necessary.