Italian Lamb Meatballs

To get started, preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Place a frying pan on the stove over medium heat and add some olive oil. Softly cook the bacon, onions, and garlic in the pan until they turn soft and translucent, making sure not to brown them. Once done, transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a small bowl and let it cool. Remember to reserve the frying pan for making the sauce later on.

Place the lamb, egg, herbs, and breadcrumbs along with a splash of milk in a large bowl. Mix everything together well, and then add in the bacon, onions and garlic and mix again. Roll out the mixture into meatballs that are about the size of golf balls. Put them onto a baking tray, and sprinkle some thyme over them, followed by a drizzle of olive oil.

Place the meatballs in the oven and bake them for around 15-20 minutes. Once they're done, the meatballs should have a golden colour, and the juices will run clear when poked with a fork or knife.

While the meatballs are cooking, it's time to make the sauce. Using the same frying pan from earlier, add the remaining onions and garlic and gently sauté them until they turn soft and fragrant. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Season with some salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the onions start to turn golden brown. Add the wine to the pan and scrape up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to come to a boil and let it reduce for approximately 1 minute.

After the wine has reduced for about a minute, add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes to the pan. Stir in some fresh herbs and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for roughly 10 minutes until it becomes thick and hearty. Once the sauce is ready, add in the meatballs and stir them around in the sauce to coat them thoroughly.

Serve with spaghetti and crusty bread.