I feel like I’ve been talking about and craving meatloaf for years…. Actually, I have. The reason is that I can seldom enjoy one. My husband hates most minced meat meals. So, Paté Chinois, meat pie, hamburger steak, sloppy-Joe and meatloaf are all on the ‘no-cook list’. I, on the other hand love them all. Oh! and heaven forbid I utter the words “Cabbage rolls”; he may not come home at all. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before. Its the childhood memories of these meals on a constant rotation and the sometimes dry minced-meat, made especially hideous to him when mixed in with other foods; I understand this. For me its minestrone or broccoli and pasta – can’t do it. Anyway, on the rare occasion that I defy the “no-cook list”, he will eat the meal hesitantly, begrudgingly with what I like to call his unhappy turtle face but he is always kind and says  “It was good” or “For a ‘fill in the blank‘, I have to admit it was good”.

But oh my goodness, what’s not to like about meatloaf?? Nothing beats it when its moist and flavorful, served with some good mashed potatoes and peas. The next day, just put it in a sandwich for lunch or make meatloaf burgers as a left-over meal variation. Its a wonderful thing, Meatloaf.

Here is a recipe that was inspired by two others I found on-line. I took my favorite bits of both and combined them.  Links & creds below.

Ingredients

6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons (A whole bag of Marcy’s Garlic & Parsley was 4 oz. I added about a 1/4 cup seasoned Pastene breadcrumbs and it was fine)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme (2 tsp if fresh)

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and broken

3 whole cloves garlic

1/2 red or orange bell pepper (optional)

1 small russet potato – peeled and grated (remove excess liquid by squeezing potato shreds within paper towels or a thin dishcloth.

1lb lean ground chuck (18 ounces)

1lb ground sirloin (18 ounces)

1, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg

Awesome Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (French’s)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plain white vinegar
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl.

Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. (Drain any excess liquid)

Combine the vegetable mixture, shredded potato, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees. Cook time was a little over an hour.

Combine ingredients for the Awesome Sauce. Reserve about 2/3 of the sauce – set aside.

Brush the remaining sauce onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

Serve meatloaf with Awesome Sauce on the side.

Note: An alternate to Awesome sauce could simply be ketchup or a combination of ketchup, honey, cinnamon, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Any version will surely be delicious.

Enjoy!

Insperations:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-meat-loaf-recipe.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/nadia-g/meatloaf-with-awesome-sauce.html

Please note that the name “Awesome Sauce” is borrowed from Nadia G (Bitchin’ kitchen) I have tweaked my version of the sauce slightly but loved the name and wanted to use it.