Hallie relates that she met with a meatloaf she didn’t like. It incorporated peas, carrots, onions, and green peppers and all of that was over the top to her. “Please send me your recipe,” she said. Probably anyone who makes meatloaf has his / her favorite method. I say “method” because meatloaf is a dish that once you learn the basics, you begin to add this or alter that according to your tastes, your time, etc. The recipe goes out the window.
Yes, meatloaf is very individual. I remember a camping trip with an in-law who provided meatloaf for sandwiches, thinking this was a kindness. It was dry and tasteless and I don’t much care for meatloaf sandwiches anyway. My mother’s meatloaf was moist but bland. What I remember most about her method was that she used soda cracker crumbs for the filler, painstakingly crushing the crackers between two layers of waxed paper by means of a rolling pin – a process that I believe is not worth my time. I don’t even like to make crumbs in my food processor.
When I make meatloaf, I take a pound of diet lean ground beef (ground turkey or venison also works well) and mix it with ½ cup of barbecue sauce and one egg. Then I add ½ cup oatmeal as the filler, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. If I want it a little moister, I add more ketchup or barbecue sauce. Bake 45 minutes at 350. Now that my finicky children are grown, I might add diced onions and / or green pepper. If I have a piece of stale bread, I might use that instead of oatmeal. Sometimes I use purchased dry bread crumbs (probably ¼ cup) – but never soda cracker crumbs. Some people suggest doubling the recipe and taking advantage of the hot oven to bake two meatloaves and then freezing one for a quick meal at another time.
How about you? What’s your favorite meatloaf?
6 comments:
I like to add a little dry mustard for a small kick. I never use crackers either--but Mom did. She also used to put a little "frosting" on hers occasionally--ketchup mixed with brown sugar, I think, before she baked it, and I loved that!
MMMMMM -- good suggestions!
I don't know where I got my idea for a meatloaf, but I always used 2/3 ground beef and 1/3 sausage. Add an egg, your not-favorite cracker crumbs, ketchup, diced onions, garlic salt, pepper. Mix it messily with your hands, put it into the pan, put ketchup on top, and bake on low heat until done in the middle. Yum!
CPW
OOOH -- another good method. Sausage will spice it up! Do you roll the crackers to make the crumbs? I like the crackers fine -- I just don't want to deal with making the crumbs.
Just for the record, my meatloaf did not contain peas. Furthermore, it was delicious. :)
Now Nick -- No one identified the meatloaf by name. And so what if I got the ingredients wrong and I'm sure it was delicious. The point is not who made the meatloaf but the variety of meatloaf methods according to individual tastes. Our Hallie is a finicky eater and much more open-minded now than she used to be. It was difficult to feed her when she was an athlete. KW
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