So, yeh, I’ve come back to meatloaf, and the making thereof.
The thing is, this meatloaf isn’t all that different from others I’ve made and posted about; there’s still the buttermilk-soaked panko crumbs, there’s the veggies, there’s the glaze, there’s even the blend of beef with poultry (ground chicken, in this case) to make things a bit more healthy-like. But, when Rich looks up from his plate and comments about how good the meatloaf is, I feel it should be noted.
And I did make a few, tiny tweaks…
INGREDIENTS
Meatloaf:
•1-1/4 lb. ground beef
•1 lb. ground chicken
•1-1/2 cup chopped celery
•2 cups diced onion (about 1/2 large)
•1 egg
•1/2 cup buttermilk
•1/2 tsp seasoned salt
•1 tsp pepper
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1 tsp dried parsley
•2 tbsp yellow mustard
•1/4 cup barbecue sauce
•1 cup panko crumbs
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
Glaze:
•2 tbsp yellow mustard
•1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Note: obvs, there’s way more than 1/2 cup of buttermilk in that beaker, but that’s fine, I saved the remainder for another project we’re trying for dinner tonight.
Preheat the oven to 350º and line a large, rimmed baking pan with foil.
Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a bowl, then add the seasonings, mustard, barbecue sauce or ketchup, and CPSGS or hot sauce.
Stir in the panko crumbs until well combined, then set aside to rest for five or ten minutes.
Add the chopped celery and onion to a large mixing bowl and stir in the panko mixture.
Note: I have been sautéeing my veggies in a bit of butter and/or olive oil, then draining and allowing them to cool before adding them, but I believe that I prefer just using raw celery and onion. and letting it cook along with everything else.
Next, add your ground beef and chicken and – sorry, there is really no ‘neat’ way to do this – mix everything together with your hands until nicely combined. You could then transfer half of the mixture to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pules until everything is well and truly chopped together, then turn that half into your loaf pan and repeat with the remaining meatloaf mixture; you’ll end up with a smoother, more pâté-like meatloaf.
Processed or not, pack your meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan, then turn out onto the foil-lined rimmed baking pan, patting the loaf to tighten it up a bit and tidying the overall shape.
Whisk the glaze together and brush over the meatloaf – don’t worry too much about covering all the sides.
Pop into the pre-heated oven and bake for two hours (a couple of baking potatoes would be a very good thing to add to the oven as well).
Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes before slicing.
Nice meatloaf!
We had ours with those baked potatoes, and a nice pea salad I (literally) tossed together with radishes, scallion, champagne vinegar, and olive oil. It was also quite nice, but even better the next day with a bit of shaved Sartori cheese added.