My husband doesn't quite understand our North American obsession with meatloaf. Its not something he grew up with.
On the other hand for we North Americans, meatloaf is somewhat of an institution. It is what I would call comfort food at its best!
Its not something which really photographs well, but hey ho. Don't just this book by its cover because it is absolutely delicious!
Brown food never photographs well. I have always struggled with it. That doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. I've never met a brownie I didn't like, brown or not. And brownies are notoriously hard to photograph!
This version of meatloaf is a bit different than the usual meatloaf. For this recipe, you season your meat and pat it out to a rectangle.
You then cover it with a type of onion stuffing mix. This is made from simmering onions in beef stock, and mixing that with dried bread crumbs.
A layer of grated strong cheddar cheese gets sprinkled over that. I favour a nice strong cheddar for the best and most flavour.
You roll the whole thing up like a jelly roll. A big, fat, meaty jelly roll. Or Swiss roll if you would rather . . .
It gets baked in the oven until golden brown. I always like to glaze my mealoaves for an extra special touch.
This one is no different. I glazed it with a mix of tomato ketchup and maple syrup, for a bit of sticky yum yum.
More cheese is melted on top and then it gets served cut into slices with whatever your favourite sides are. You could serve gravy with it, but we like tomato ketchup!
Chill any leftovers and then serve the next day, thinly sliced and popped into sandwiches for a tasty lunch! Scrummo!
*Stuffed Meatloaf*
Serves 6
80ml beef stock (1/3 cup)
150g bread cubes (about 1/4 inch) toasted (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp each onion, and garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme, rubbed
Mix the meat together with the egg, onion and garlic powders, salt, pepper and thyme. Pat out into a 14 inch by 8 inch rectangle on a piece of cling film. Cover with the bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle evenly with 120g of the cheese (1 cup). Starting from a short end, roll up tightly. Place seamside down into an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch loaf dish.
Bake uncovered, for 55 minutes. Whisk together the maple syrup and the ketchup. Brush over top, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until glazed and the cheese has melted. Let stand for a few minutes before cutting into slices to serve.
I love comfort food meals like this. I served it with scalloped potatoes and mixed vegetables, but mash would go equally as well, or yes . . . mac and cheese. Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
this looks so good!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is really very good Laurie! Todd likes it a lot! xo
DeleteI am loving perusing your BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK,,and even here I discover new every day!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Monique! I am so happy that you like it so much! Yay! xo
DeleteThat looks delicious! And the best thing is that it goes in the oven with the potatoes, and I can take care of something else while it cooks. :)
ReplyDeleteYes Lorraine, that is a quality you just got to love! xo
DeleteI made this for dinner last night. It was really moist and delicious. Neither of us likes ketchup at all, so I glazed it with a simple pizza sauce mixed with the maple syrup and that worked a treat.
ReplyDeleteI did not grow up with meatloaf either, so again it must be a quintessentially North American thing. But this sounded too good not to try and I was glad that I did. It was so easy to have it all in the oven along with a small tray of veggies to roast at the same time. All I had to make was the gravy - so a nice, easy dinner.
This is one of my favourite meatloaves Marie, and I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Your idea of roasting veggies along side is a good one! My father douses his in ketchup even with the glaze and then he wonders why his blood sugars are through the roof the next day! Your pizza sauce with maple glaze sounds delicious! xoxo
Delete