Meatloaf: A Mom Dish

If you’re at least a second generation American, odds are that your mom made meatloaf for you when you were a child.  If you were like me, you whined and complained to no end when it was presented to you.  I hated meatloaf when I was a kid.  I hated the ketchup topping, I hated the taste, I hated the texture and I hated the look.  However, like most kids confronted with the dreaded meatloaf night, I was forced to eat it and like it.

I always find it funny, hilarious even, when cooks try to come up with recipes that make meatloaf a little more gourmet.  Are they serious?  Meatloaf is a “tight times” dish.  It’s meant to make a little bit of cheap meat go a long way, thus saving a family money.  It’s not supposed to be a fancy dish served in a 5-star restaurant!  I do, however, think that the recipes of old could use a little bit of modernizing.

My meatloaf recipe is what I like to call a “Mom recipe.”  This is a dish that I use as a means to hide an extra vegetable so that my son will unknowingly ingest something good for him.  I’m lucky that my son loves this meatloaf.  I had to do a little experimentation to come up with the current evolution of this dish, and it is by no means really unique but I can say that both my toddler and my husband squeal with glee when I serve meatloaf.  That’s good enough.

Meatloaf

(My Recipe)

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloved garlic, finely minced

2 medium carrots, finely minced

2 eggs

1/2 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried parsely flakes

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 Tblsp. dried oregano

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1-1/2 to 2 cups instant oatmeal

You can “hide” any number of vegetables in this meatloaf, but I have found that carrots compromise the taste and texture the least.  Now I’ve tried putting these through a food processor and chopping the life out of them, but the best way to really hide them is to get your handy dandy microplane and grate them.  It takes a little elbow grease, but the carrots disappear into this dish and you’d never know they were there.  I also use my microplane to grate the garlic and parmesan cheese.  I have a tiny food processor to make sure that my onion is finely minced.

Making meatloaf is basically the act of putting all of the ingredients into the bowl, minus the oatmeal, and mix to combine.  Make sure the meat is completely incorporated with the eggs and vegetables and seasonings before you add the oatmeal.

I’ve tried bread crumbs, corn flakes, potato chips and instant mashed potato flakes as the filler for this dish and I have found that oatmeal is the best.  It’s tender and it adds great texture.  Also, it’s really good for you.  When you start adding this to your meat mix, you’re going to have to use your hands.  Only your hands will incorporate it properly and you’ll also need your sense of touch so that you’ll know when you’ve added enough oats to the mix.  You’ll want the mixture to come together in a lump and feel pulled together, but not dry.

I use a loaf pan, but you can use a baking sheet or a baking dish.  Just form the mixture into a loaf.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

I changed up the traditional ketchup topping just a little bit.  I just add a little bit of Dijon mustard to the ketchup for a little extra zing and it tastes great.  Simply combine 1/2 cup ketchup and 1-1/2 Tblsp. Dijon mustard and spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

A traditional side dish for meatloaf  (and really, it is a perfect partner) is mashed potatoes.  However, I don’t have any potatoes in my house at the moment so I had to improvise.  I decided to make couscous.  It is a great side dish that is easy and quick cooking.  It’s little itty bitty pasta and the ways to flavor it are limitless.

I like to use dried cranberries as an everyday flavoring for couscous.  Boil 1 cup of water.  When the water is boiling add 1 tsp. of olive oil, 1 cup couscous and 1/4 cup dried cranberries.  Stir to combine, cover and remove from the heat.  The steam cooks this.  After 5 minutes, fluff this with a fork and you’ve got a super fast and delicious side dish.

Since it is in season, I also decided to serve fresh ears of corn.  I tend to think that it is a crime to add a bunch of flavorings to fresh ears of corn.  They don’t need it.  Just spread with a little bit of butter, sprinkle with a little salt and you’ve got a delicious vegetable that is as sweet as sugar.  I’m mentioning this because I wanted to show off these adorable corn servers.

Usually, I am not a fan of kitsch but my mom has a set of these and when she refused to give me her set my husband found me this set on eBay from Japan.  They are porcelain and so so so cute.  I always love making dinner for friends and serving corn so I can use these servers.

Cute, huh?

This is a fantastic and cheap meal to prepare.  The leftovers can be reheated or served on bread as a meatloaf sandwich (my husband’s favorite).  The best part is that my son ate a full serving of vegetables with his dinner and he didn’t even know it.  Enjoy!

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