Description
Being a midwesterner born and bred, i (heather) have had more than my fair share of meatloaf. As a child, i ordered open-faced meatloaf sandwiches every single time i went to my grandparents' diner. My grandpa said it was going to come out of my ears! 🙂 this recipe from food & wine magazine (feb 1989, p. 131-132)is by far my favorite. The flavors are well balanced, and the oats redeem this fat-laden dish with a whole grain.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Celery Rib
- Thyme
- Lean Ground Beef
- Rolled Oats
- Ketchup
- Eggs
- Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- Bacon
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat
- Add the onion, green pepper, celery, and thyme
- Reduce the heat to low
- Cook covered, stirring one or twice, until the vegetables are very soft
- Remove from heat
- Cool to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 350f in a large bowl, combine cooked vegetables and beef
- Add oats, 1 / 3 cup ketchup, eggs, salt, and pepper
- Mix well
- Spoon the meat mixture into a large shallow baking dish
- Form the meat into a flat loaf about 2 inches high and smooth the top with the back of a spoon
- Spread the remaining 1 / 3 cup ketchup over the loaf
- Arrange the bacon strips on top
- Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour or until it is just cooked through and shows no trace of pink
- Let the meatloaf stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving
- A dash of worcestershire sauce or pick-a-pepa kicks up the flavor nicely
- You can also substitute turkey bacon, or omit the bacon and add a dash of liquid smoke
- Using tomato paste on top of the meatloaf instead of ketchup adds a tangy flavor