Meatloaf To Die For

I went to a local butcher the other day and stocked up on beef. They make their own ground beef and it is wonderful. I wanted to make something a bit different with it and came up with this recipe. The more I pondered it the more it grew and ended up being one of the best meals I've ever made. I give you: mini meatloaves on cheesy garlic bread floating in a brown gravy topped with roasted garlic mashed red potatoes and finished with creamed spinach. This is some serious comfort food and takes meatloaf to a whole new level. For those of you that missed my recipes while I was gone....I am back!


I wanted to make this the most flavorful meatloaf ever so I decided to add some sausage to it. Here is the beginning lineup of ingredients.


There is nothing quite as good as a dark rich gravy and it is so simple to make. Just put a bit of oil in a heavy pot and chop up lots of vegetables. Heat the oil and throw the veggies in the pot.


Cook this for about 30 minutes over semi-high heat until they are very dark on the bottom. This is your gravy browning! Turn them over several times to brown all the vegetables.


Then sprinkle on about 4 tablespoons of flour and continue to cook while stirring.


Cook for a few minutes until the flour blends in.


Now add about 3 cups of a hearty red wine.


Stir it around and cook a few minutes more.


Then add about 4-5 cups of beef stock.


Add some salt and pepper. I also use several tablespoons of Vegita and some Maggi. Taste for seasoning and adjust.



Bring to a boil and cook until you can see it thickening.


Strain the veggies out of the gravy.


Cook a bit longer if you want it thicker.


This makes a perfect jug of rich brown gravy that can be used on almost anything.


To start the meatloaves first cook about 6-8 slices of bacon.


After they cool, crumble them.


In a large bowl add 1 # ground beef, 1 # sausage (I used bulk breakfast sausage), the crumbled bacon and about a cup and a half of flavored stuffing mix. I use Pepperidge farm herb stuffing because it is much more flavorful than plain bread or bread crumbs.


Saute' a large onion and some diced green pepper (poblano) just until it begins to soften.


This is the important part. Meatloaf needs lots of seasoning or it will be bland. I added a lot of fresh ground black pepper, ground sage, thyme, fresh rosemary, salt and some garlic. Cook this for a few minutes stirring constantly until the spices become aromatic. Set it aside to cool.


I know I keep telling you this and sooner or later maybe everyone will try it.....always add a few diced anchovies to any beef dish you make. You will never taste the anchovies but they bring out the flavor in beef like nothing else.


Add the cooled onion/pepper mix and about 3/4 cup of diced fresh parsley. Then add 4 raw eggs and about 1/2 cup of whole milk.


Mix this thoroughly and fry a piece to taste it for flavor. Adjust the seasoning if you need to.


Several years ago I bought these food rings and I love them. You place a scoop of the meatloaf mixture in the ring and tamp it down.


Then using thin sliced bacon, I tightly wrapped each mini loaf. You must use thin bacon and pull it tight as you wrap them. As they bake the bacon shrinks and pulls the loaves together. Aren't they cute? This is a first for me. I might never make large meatloaves again! Bake these at 350 degrees until they reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees.


And since I had some bread I needed to use, I thought the meatloaves would be good served on cheesy garlic bread. I simply made some garlic butter, spread it on the bread slices, sprinkled them with grated Parmesan and broiled them.



I was going to just saute' the spinach in butter but sometimes it gets really bitter so I thought I would make it creamed spinach instead. If bechemal sauce scares you, don't let it. It is really simple to make. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy pan. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour. Add some salt and pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. Whisk it for a minute or so.


Pour in about 4 cups of whole milk and keep whisking.


It will quickly begin to thicken.


Add about a cup of fresh Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted.


Add this to the spinach which has been sauteed in butter.


Mmmmmm.....


Here is a pic of one of the mini meatloaves right out of the oven. I thought I had one more pick of the finished dish but apparently I left it out. So go back to the beginning of this post if you want to see the final product! When everything is ready, ladle some gravy in the bottom of a flat soup bowl, then float a piece of the garlic toast on top of it. Sit a mini meatloaf on top of the toast and top that with a scoop of the mashed potatoes. Then top the potatoes with the creamed spinach. I roasted some carrots to serve alongside. Meatloaf prepared like this could be served to company. This dish got rave reviews from my entire gang.

* I roasted garlic earlier in the day and made red skin mashed potatoes with roasted garlic.

**Remember to enter the current giveaway by clicking on the button on my sidebar.

Comments

Robin Larkspur said…
great great great!!!!! another octoberfarm-gotta-make-recipe!!! cant do the anchovies though,,just cant...nope.
Joane said…
serious, serious comfort food! My mouth is watering. Thank you!
brokenteepee said…
I was with you 'til the creamed spinach. Although the hubby would love that.
Nar said…
It looks delicious! I like the idea of putting the crumbled bacon into the meatloaf. I just put strips of bacon on top of mine.
Melodie said…
That looks so good! I wish I could come eat at your house some time,lol!
Aine O'Brien said…
Yum yum yum. I'm hungry
Danni said…
Yowza - your house was smell amazing ALL THE TIME!
Lila said…
Wow, I'm a vegetarian and I drooled a little over this recipe!! I don't dare show my husband, he will want to take you as a second wife :)
And again, WOW!!!
LaTrice said…
YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!I'm surprized all of my drooling hasn't shorted out the keyboard.
petoskystone said…
holy. wow. whoever guards your hearth is singing now!
Anonymous said…
Looks great!
I´ve never tried to have either bacon nor sausage to my meatloaf but why not! As soon as I get in the mood for cooking again I think I´ll try this one :-)

Have a great day now!
Christer.
Unknown said…
Dear god, this looks AMAZING.
Anonymous said…
Dang! That sounds sooo good. You are one talented lady!
BelladonnasJoy said…
You are truly a chef, if not, you would give any chef a run for his money, so to speak. Awesome and yummy. Thanks for the cooking inspirations!!
Unknown said…
OMG (g for goodness)never thought of wrapping in bacon this is a recipe I will try asap! Thank you!
I'm not sure but I think I just licked my computer screen. Boy am I glad you're home.
You're back and you're kickin' ass!!!
decareis said…
Hello Joyce
I could never live in his house.
If in Portugal four years I've beefed 25Kg, at his home fatter 25 in 4 months!
I delight in seeing their delight !!!!! hehehehehe
Congratulations master cook
Bjs
Andrea
o.k. that is a winner...LOVE the gravy...love it...and creamed spinach is my favorte...and the baby meatloafs are darling...love the recipe... this is a Home Run right out of the park !!!!!
Ann said…
Wow the meatloaf looks delicious especially wrapped in that bacon. This is going on my list of things to try.
This is what I'm talkin' about, food to die for.

I have made many a meat loaf in my day, which I loved, but this new recipe is the ultimate!

The bechemal sauce doesn't seem so bad when you "say" it. Also, the gravy!

Thanks for sharing.

xoxo to Teddy Winters on the Way.
Mother Moon said…
All I can say is if I am ever even remotely close to your place I am heading over for dinner... This looks so good... who would have thought you could make meatloaf look so utterly yummy
Lynda Hardy said…
Wow that takes meatloaf into a whole different category of meal. The anchovies make sense - it's the key ingredient in Worchestershire, after all...
Anonymous said…
What can I say? You are amazing! I would serve that meatloaf at a fancy get together at my house. I am speechless and drooling just looking at those pics!
Julie Ferguson said…
A new way for me to make meatloaf, thanks. The whole meal looks delish.
Sharlene T. said…
There is no need to post another recipe... This is Heaven and I'm moving in... period... By the time I got to the end, I was drooling and you now owe me a new laptop... I'm doing this very, very, soon! Thank you, so much, for sharing...
Sol said…
I am making these meatloaves tonight! wish me luck!!! Some of the things I couldnt get here, so I have made it up! I hope they come out as well as yours look! I will keep you posted.