Taking a twist on a classic, I decided to do a turkey meatloaf last night, with an Asian taste profile. Here’s the recipe:
–1lb ground turkey(ground my own as I’m fussy about salmonella)
–1 c breadcrumbs (I used panko, but any should be fine)
–2 eggs
–2 cloves crushed garlic
–1 inch grated ginger and juice
–2tbsp black bean and garlic paste
–1tsp sesame oil (dark)
–salt and white pepper to taste.
Then layered bacon in a loaf pan and baked until the probe read 160F at the center. It came out pretty good, and will be the focus of a bahn mi-style sammich later today.
My mother’s (and grandmother’s) recipe, however was more of a technique than a recipe:
half and half ground beef and sausage, either country style or italian
a quarter canister of progresso breadcrumbs
one onion minced fine
garlic powder
salt and pepper
I can tomato paste
Form into loaf on cookie sheet, frost with ketchup and bake until the outside is brown and glistening, or until the juices run clear.
This one was especially good for cold meatloaf sandwiches the next day.
So Dopers, post your meatloaf recipes and reminisces. I occasionally make one out of pork and chicken and embed hard boiled eggs down the center, which I know is really pate la campagne.
Wrap those eggs individually in a meat loaf mixture and bake to get Scotch eggs. That makes a tasty portable lunch. I haven’t done that in quite a while, but now that I’m reminded I might just do it.
I usually make the loaf with a trench down the centre, fill with mushrooms/cheese/onions (or whatever) and seal it up. The slices look good with a bull’s eye of filling.
This is a variation on Alton Brown’s recipe. Forget bread pans for meatloaf; freeform is the only way to go. Meatloaf should only have two binders, in this case egg and bread crumbs.
Heat the oven to 325F.
6 ounces of dry bread crumbs (croutons work well)
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
½ onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
(or place the above four ingredients in a food processor and pulse until minced)
18 ounces ground chuck
8 ounces ground lamb
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
Note: for the meat, you can substitute half ground chuck and half ground sirloin and delete the lamb, if desired. I think the lamb gives this dish a robust flavor.
For the glaze, combine:
½ cup ketchup
1 tsp ground cumin
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash hot pepper sauce
1 TBSP honey
Combine all of the loaf ingredients gently. Don’t squeeze the meat. Free-form the loaf onto a baking sheet, or form into a loaf pan and turn it out onto a baking sheet. Insert a meat thermometer at the middle of the loaf, and about halfway through. Place the pan in the oven. After ten minutes, brush the glaze all over the meatloaf and allow to roast until an internal temperature of 155F has been reached.
Here’s one I haven’t tried yet, but it sounds great. I still wouldn’t put it in a loaf pan, as I like it browned all over and not boiled in fat/water:
Moroccan Meatloaf
(Maryana Vollstedt)
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
½ pound ground lamb
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped zucchini drained and dried
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 cup dried whole wheat bread crumbs
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
½ orange, peeled and sliced
½ lemon, peeled and sliced
Mint leaves to garnish
Combine all ingredients except orange and lemon slices. Turn into a baking pan and free form into a loaf. Bake in a 350 oven until lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Lay the fruit slices alternately on top of the loaf and bake an additional 15 minutes or so. Let stand for about 10 minutes to firm up.
I make a Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf, for those days when it isn’t even close to November but you want comfort food…
1 lb ground turkey
1 small box Stove Top stuffing, chicken, turkey, or savory herb flavor
1 egg
¼ c. water
1 can or jar of turkey gravy (Campbell’s or Heinz, preferably)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Rosemary (optional)
Mix everything with your hands in large bowl until it looks like meatloaf and everything is well incorporated. Bake in a loaf pan or glass baking pan at 375 for about 45 minutes.
I keep it simple, yet have gotten a lot of compliments on this meatloaf:
1lb ground meat, preferably ground chuck, not too lean. 80% is a good mix.
1/2 small onion, chopped fine.
1 egg
3-4 pieces of white bread lightly sprinkled with water. Breadcrumbs are Abomination
Ramen/Oodles of Noodles/etc 2 packets of seasoning from the beef soup package. Throw the noodles away.
Combine ingredients in large bowl using your hands but do not overmix. Shape into loaf and put into the oven covered at 350 for an hour or an hour fifteen mins. Goes good with baked potatoes, you can put them in the oven at the same time as the meatloaf and take the loaf out when the potatoes are done. Make some corn, baby lima beans, broccoli, whatever veggie you want.
If I feel like getting fancy I’ll use 1/3 or so Italian sausage. I did this once when my gf’s sis and husband came over. I went about 2lbs of meat total, and other than a couple small pieces for us, they ate my entire freaking meatloaf. So it must’ve been good!
Well, it’s dwindling. The bahn mi sandwiches were so good I made several to share with the office today.
–Small crusty french rolls, soft inside
–slices of turkey meatloaf
–hand-pickled carrots, leeks, and daikon radish (I just soak it overnight in sugar, vinegar and salt)
–sliced jalapeños
–lettuce
And “dressing.” The "dressing"recipe I pried out of my favorite Vietnamese sandwich shop in Westminster, CA.
Fish sauce
mayo
sesame oil
sugar
I’ll have to try some of the recipes listed upthread, and the idea of an all-lamb loaf intrigues me. Maybe with herbes de Provence and served with a tzatsiki sauce?
Ground beef
Lee & Perrin’s
A1 sauce
Egg(s)
Bread or cracker crumbs
Milk
Garlic powder
Mix above ingredients together.
Onion
Celery
Bell pepper
Dice all, cook in olive oil until onion is limp and transparent, add to the first mix.
Mix all together, adjusting as needed for moisture. Slap into a baking dish and shape into a loaf, if the dish is too big. Bake at about 375 for about an hour. Bake potatoes at the same time, the oven’s hot already and you might as well take advantage of it. If the beef is kind of fatty, remove pan from oven at about 45 minutes and drain the fat from it. Now that I use lean ground beef, I don’t need to do that any longer. I do still check it at 45 minutes, though, because I usually want to put some more A1 sauce on top of the loaf.
You will note the lack of salt and pepper in this recipe. My husband has a very low tolerance for salty tasting foods, and I can’t eat black pepper because I have IBD. So adjust seasoning to individual taste.
All lamb could be a bit intense, even if you’re using lamb from Kiwi or Oz. Mixing it with beef seems to work out extraordinarily well, IMO. Although if you used Middle Eastern spicing (as in kebabs), lamb would be spectacular.
I remember Mom’s meatloaf as a child… it was horrible.
It had ground beef, an egg, and crushed crackers in it. That’s it. Horrible tasting.
Now she’s learned to use recipes and this is the current one, passed on by my aunt, which is delicious. A far cry from the horrid thing on my plate as a kid!
Little Cheddar Meatloaves
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
In a bowl beat egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into eight loaves; place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160.