sprinklefingers

meatloaf!
[this is an old post that i spruced up with a fresh bit of formatting. of course it makes mention of christmas trees…so now you know exactly how old it is!]

this meatloaf makes use of a very awesome kitchen gadget - the grating blade of your food processor. and, i do have to say that i did all of the prep for my own meatloaf several hours before i planned to bake it - i just refrigerated it on the same sheet pan i planned to bake it on. then we went to get our christmas tree. then i put the lights on the christmas tree. THEN i baked the meatloaf. so, the combination of the food processor trick, combined with the do-ahead factor made me realize it’d fit right in here.

you should make this meatloaf tonight. but i should warn you, the glaze smells soooo good while it’s baking that you might attempt to dab it on your pulse points like perfume.

one delicious meatloaf

you need:

• one large yellow onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 10 oz package frozen, chopped spinach - thawed and drained.
• 2 whole wheat english muffins (4 halves,) cubed
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 16 oz ground turkey - not lean (very important! this is not a lowfat dish!)
• 12 oz ground pork
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• salt - around 1/2 tablespoon or to taste
• pepper - 2 teaspoons or to taste
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons ground mustard (powder, Coleman’s is good)
• 8 oz bacon

make your meatloaf:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. grate onion and carrots in food processor using grating blade - or grate with box grater (seriously, use your food processor for this - it makes it so easy.)
3. heat some olive oil in a large pan. add grated onion, carrot, minced garlic and drained spinach. cook until fragrant and somewhat dried out. put in large bowl. allow to cool.
4. put cubed muffins in bowl. pour milk over. allow to sit while veggies cool.
5. mix bread & milk, both meats, egg, dijon mustard, salt and pepper into the veggie mixture. It’s gross, but it will help here if you use your hands. you want to make sure you mix the meats evenly so you don’t end up with big turkey chunks or big pork chunks throughout.
6. dump meat mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Form into a tight loaf approximately 5” by 11”.
7. mix tomato paste, brown sugar and ground mustard in a small bowl. add hot water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a glaze-like consistency.
8. brush entire loaf with 1/3 of the above glaze.
9. cut bacon slices in half. weave them over the glazed loaf, making sure to cover the sides of the loaf. you don’t want any of the loaf showing.
10. glaze bacon-covered loaf with another 1/3 of the glaze.
11. reduce oven temp  to 375, put loaf into oven. 
12. bake for 25 minutes, then brush loaf with the remaining glaze.
13. bake for 25-35 minutes longer, until the inside of the loaf reaches 170 degrees.
14. remove loaf from oven, tent with foil and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

we like meatloaf with tater tots at our house. but that’s just us.

*this recipe is my adaptation of a meatloaf from a book called Kitchen Playdates.*