Meatloaf

Quintessential American Dinner

Meatloaf, the scourge of some, the love of others. Developed as a way to take not much meat and to extend it to feed a family. Take inexpensive ground meat, dump some things in it, and serve it with a healthy portion of starch. Everyone is full and fed.

Mis en place

Ingredients

Makes 2 loaves, one for now, one for another time

2 lbs ground meat (I’m using ground chicken breast)

Crumbs (Bread crumbs, panko, matzo meal, cracker crumbs. In a pinch you can use left over rice or even oats.)

Tomato Paste

2 eggs (beaten)

1 envelope Onion Soup Mix

Steak Sauce

Buttermilk or Milk

Worcestershire Sauce

Tomato Paste

And Pittsburgh Tomato Coulis (ketchup) for the Glaze

Make a panade with equal parts of Crumbs and Buttermilk/milk

Let the panade sit and hydrate for a few minutes

Dump in the ground meat and beaten eggs

Add the remaining ingredients.  Mix it well so that it all comes together.  

Form Half of the mixture and put it into a loaf on a greased foil baking sheet.  Top with Ketchup and rub it all over the loaf.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes.  

Put the other half into a greased loaf pan, and prepare it for the freezer. 

When you're ready, to make future-you happy, remove the loaf from the freezer, thaw, take the foil off the top, and glaze.  

 Serve with a starch, a veg and a salad. I like Corn and carrots, for some reason, that seems Americana to me. But peas, asparagus, or any veg you like, is also nice!