Recipe of the week: Best meatloaf I ever made!

I'm hungry looking at this now

I really like meatloaf....there's something about the moisture and the texture, the taste and the fact that it's amazing with mashed potatoes that makes me go "ohhhh hell yeahhhhhh" when I eat it. However, I will be honest with ya'll and admit that I've had a bit of trouble making it in the past couple of years.... Yeah, I love to cook but some things require a lot of practice, and meatloaf definitely wasn't easy for me. I mean, it's easy to make, but I was never fully satisfied with the end results. Either it was too dry or too mushy, not enough spices or too many spices and I always ended up not quite happy. HOWEVER...however however however....the other day while browsing on the Food network website (which is my favorite channel on TV, obviously), I saw how Ina Garten, one of my favorite chefs on the network, had a mealoaf recipe that seemed a bit out of the ordinary (check it out here).... What surprised me the most about this recipe was the fact that it wasn't in a bread plate but instead molded into a large square....Anyways! I decided to inspire myself from it and make my own which turned out extra yummy!!! I was so happy! FINALLY! It was about time! I served it with mini potatoe muffins (recipe below). Check check check it out!!

YOU WILL NEED

-Ground meat (I prefer ground veal or pork)

-About a cup of
Italian bread crumbs (regular bread crumbs are fine, or if you don't have bread crumbs just toast bread and put it in the food processor or Magic Bullet)

-2 eggs

-Pesto (optional, but it's SO GOOD in it)

-2 garlic cloves, chopped in teeny tiny pieces

-1 large onion, chopped in small pieces

-2/3 cup of chicken stock

-A bit of milk, maybe 3 teaspoons

-Spices of your choice (I added pepper, salt, chicken seasoning)

-A bit of chopped basil and parsley

-Extra virgin olive oil

-About 1/2 cup of ketchup mixed with 2 tbsp of brown sugar

SO!

-Preheat the oven at 350 F

-In a large pan, sautee the onions until they become translucent and not over cooked. Add the garlic and the chicken broth, reduce heat to low and let everything cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the liquid reduces a bit. In the meanwhile....

-In a very large bowl, mix the meat with the spices, eggs, bread crumbs, basil + parsley, pesto and onion-garlic-broth mix. Mix it lightly with a fork and it's important to not over mix it (which is a mistake I used to make, it would make the meat too rough). Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil to the meat, continue to lightly mix until everything is well put together.

-Fill half of a large bowl that goes in the oven with hot water. Don't "WTF" me, you'll need it :P

-Spread olive oil on a large platter and ad your meat on it. With your hands, form a large rectangle that is about 2 inches tall. Add a layer of ketchup-brown sugar mix top then  put it on the top grill of the oven.

-VERY IMPORTANT: On the bottom oven grill, put the bowl of water. This will prevent your meat from cracking completely. I don't know how, but it just does. My mom was like "UHHHH how come your meatloaf didn't crak" and I gave her that trick. She was amazed, thank you Ina Garten!!! 

-Cook for approximately 1h-1h15. Remove from oven and if you want, remove the fat that was formed all around... I don't do it because I like meat fat. Slice and serve hot! YUMMYYYYYY!!!!

Mashed potatoe muffins

I just call it like that because I do this recipe in muffin molds, but it does not taste nor look like muffins. 

YOU WILL NEED

-Mashed potatoes (whatever you like, the box orthe original version)

-2 tbsp butter

-Pesto

-Cheese (cheddar or mozzarella does it for me)

-Spices of your choice

SO!

-Heat the oven to 350 F

-Put some olive oil in muffin molds and spread evenly with a paper towel or brush.

-Mix all the ingredients together, put in muffin molds and then put in the oven for about 10 minutes. Heat the oven on high broil and cook until the top apprears crispy. Serve with the meatloaf!

That's it! How easy is that? I mean, c'mon!

xoxo

Sassou