Giant Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatball With Spinach Mash

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Drain the mozzarella, then pat and squeeze as much liquid out as you can with kitchen paper and tear in half

Combine the beef mince with half the chopped garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up, then divide the beef mixture into 2 [4] and flatten the mixture and add the mozzarella halves to the middle of each beef mixture

Seal up the meat around the mozzarella and shape into a meatball

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the mozzarella-stuffed meatballs and cook for 4-5 min or until browned all over, then transfer to an oven-proof dish

Reserve the pan and boil half a kettle

Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the onion[s], roughly chop the cherry tomatoes and top, tail and grate the carrot[s]

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a little drizzle of olive oil and once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 min or until beginning to soften

Once softened, add the chopped tomatoes, grated carrot and dried oregano with 1/2 tsp [1 tsp] flour and a pinch of salt and cook for 6-8 min or until softened

Dissolve the beef stock mix and tomato paste in 300ml [500ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Once the vegetables have softened, add the tomato stock and cook for 4-5 min further or until the sauce has slightly thickened

Once slightly thickened, pour the sauce over the meatballs and put the dish in the oven for 15-20 min or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through (no pink meat!)

Reboil a full kettle

Whilst the sauce is cooking, peel the potatoes and chop them into small bite-sized pieces

Add the chopped potatoes to a pot with plenty of boiled water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 12-15 min or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot to steam dry

Reboil half a kettle

Return the potatoes to a low heat with a knob of butter and a splash of milk

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mash until smooth

Wash the spinach, then add it to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach with cold water until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze the water out of the spinach as much as you can, then chop it roughly

Add the chopped spinach to the mash – this is your spinach mash