I have to admit, I make a kick-ass meatloaf. I took a little bit of different family members' meatloaf recipes and incorporated them all into my own recipe. What makes it extra special is the strips of bacon lovingly layered on top. After all, what is a good meal without bacon?!
Bacon Meatloaf with Piquant Glaze
1 lb. ground beef (I use 80/20 so it's not too dry)
1 lb. ground pork
2-3 slices of bread (I use the "white" wheat bread from the grocery store), shredded into small pieces
1-2 eggs
1 onion, small dice
2 carrots, scraped, small dice
2 stalks of celery, small dice
5-6 shiitake mushrooms, diced into small pieces
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (I like garlic so I use two, some people, not so much)
a small palmful of "garlic/herb" spices--I get a jar of it from Wegmans, but if you don't have Wegmans, use a palmful of Italian seasoning mixed with a little salt and pepper, or Mrs. Dash Italian Herb mix, also adding a little salt and pepper.
1/2 C. ketchup
1 T. dijon or brown mustard
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
4-5 slices of center cut or thick cut bacon
I use my KitchenAid stand mixer to mix up the ingredients, but you can always use your hands to mix it up.
Prepare all the vegetables and saute them in a large heated saute pan with a few teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle them with salt to bring out the liquids in them. Saute vegetables until they are nice and tender, set aside. Then, add both meats to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix together on a very low speed until they are combined. Then, continuing on low speed, add in the bread. Once the bread has been incorporated, add one egg at a time, until you see the meat has reached a "moldable" consistency--you may not need to use both eggs, depending on how moist your meat is. Keep the mixer on low, and add in spice mix, then slowly add in vegetables. Continue mixing until all vegetables are incorporated. If mixture still seems dry, add in another egg or a little water.
Remove meat mixture to a baking sheet. Using your hands (yes, your hands!) mold meat into a loaf shape onto the baking sheet. Brush with the piquant glaze with a pastry brush and top with bacon slices, lengthwise down the top of the loaf.
Piquant glaze: whisk together ketchup, mustard, and nutmeg. If mixture seems too thick to spread, add in a little vinegar or water to thin it out. Brush on top of loaf.
Your loaf should be about 4" wide and about 8-10" long so when you stretch the bacon out over the top of the loaf, you should be able to fit 4-5 strips of bacon lengthwise. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or internal temp reads 155 degrees.
Remove from oven and let loaf rest for about 10 minutes so it can "set up." Carefully slice into 1-2" slices, trying to keep bacon on the slices (I usually secure the ends with toothpicks so I can be sure to cut the bacon evenly).
If I have time, I'll whip up a brown gravy to go with the mashed potatoes, but if you take a bite of meatloaf with a bite of mashed potatoes, you get the same effect!
Leftovers:
I discovered this trick by accident--we're trying to use up all of our leftovers ASAP because we're getting ready to go away for a few days for the holidays.
I had about a half a loaf left of the meatloaf. I decided to use them in a pasta dish last night. I cut each slice of leftover meatloaf into 1" squares to use as "meatballs." I sauteed a diced onion and some garlic in a braising pot, then I added the "meatballs" to brown them a little bit. When the veggies and meat were nice and browned, I added in a jar of marinara sauce, a can of diced tomatoes (with juice), a palmful of Italian seasoning, a couple of teaspoons of sugar, and two teaspoons of basil pesto from a jar. I served it over bow-tie pasta, which is what I happened to have on hand. Good choice though, as all the nooks and crannies really held up to the sauce.
Long story short, it came out really good. The boy kept commenting on how tasty the meatballs were, even though he had turned his nose up at having meatloaf the night before. Ha!
Bacon Meatloaf with Piquant Glaze
1 lb. ground beef (I use 80/20 so it's not too dry)
1 lb. ground pork
2-3 slices of bread (I use the "white" wheat bread from the grocery store), shredded into small pieces
1-2 eggs
1 onion, small dice
2 carrots, scraped, small dice
2 stalks of celery, small dice
5-6 shiitake mushrooms, diced into small pieces
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (I like garlic so I use two, some people, not so much)
a small palmful of "garlic/herb" spices--I get a jar of it from Wegmans, but if you don't have Wegmans, use a palmful of Italian seasoning mixed with a little salt and pepper, or Mrs. Dash Italian Herb mix, also adding a little salt and pepper.
1/2 C. ketchup
1 T. dijon or brown mustard
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
4-5 slices of center cut or thick cut bacon
I use my KitchenAid stand mixer to mix up the ingredients, but you can always use your hands to mix it up.
Prepare all the vegetables and saute them in a large heated saute pan with a few teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle them with salt to bring out the liquids in them. Saute vegetables until they are nice and tender, set aside. Then, add both meats to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix together on a very low speed until they are combined. Then, continuing on low speed, add in the bread. Once the bread has been incorporated, add one egg at a time, until you see the meat has reached a "moldable" consistency--you may not need to use both eggs, depending on how moist your meat is. Keep the mixer on low, and add in spice mix, then slowly add in vegetables. Continue mixing until all vegetables are incorporated. If mixture still seems dry, add in another egg or a little water.
Remove meat mixture to a baking sheet. Using your hands (yes, your hands!) mold meat into a loaf shape onto the baking sheet. Brush with the piquant glaze with a pastry brush and top with bacon slices, lengthwise down the top of the loaf.
Piquant glaze: whisk together ketchup, mustard, and nutmeg. If mixture seems too thick to spread, add in a little vinegar or water to thin it out. Brush on top of loaf.
Your loaf should be about 4" wide and about 8-10" long so when you stretch the bacon out over the top of the loaf, you should be able to fit 4-5 strips of bacon lengthwise. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or internal temp reads 155 degrees.
Remove from oven and let loaf rest for about 10 minutes so it can "set up." Carefully slice into 1-2" slices, trying to keep bacon on the slices (I usually secure the ends with toothpicks so I can be sure to cut the bacon evenly).
If I have time, I'll whip up a brown gravy to go with the mashed potatoes, but if you take a bite of meatloaf with a bite of mashed potatoes, you get the same effect!
Leftovers:
I discovered this trick by accident--we're trying to use up all of our leftovers ASAP because we're getting ready to go away for a few days for the holidays.
I had about a half a loaf left of the meatloaf. I decided to use them in a pasta dish last night. I cut each slice of leftover meatloaf into 1" squares to use as "meatballs." I sauteed a diced onion and some garlic in a braising pot, then I added the "meatballs" to brown them a little bit. When the veggies and meat were nice and browned, I added in a jar of marinara sauce, a can of diced tomatoes (with juice), a palmful of Italian seasoning, a couple of teaspoons of sugar, and two teaspoons of basil pesto from a jar. I served it over bow-tie pasta, which is what I happened to have on hand. Good choice though, as all the nooks and crannies really held up to the sauce.
Long story short, it came out really good. The boy kept commenting on how tasty the meatballs were, even though he had turned his nose up at having meatloaf the night before. Ha!
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