Meatloaf

Having grown up in the southern U.S., comfort foods were a staple of my childhood diet. I grew up in south Louisiana where comfort food could be defined as a steaming bowl of gumbo over white rice, a plate full of jambalaya or a tray of freshly boiled spicy crawfish, but I digress. We also spread the table with comfort foods more familiar to the greater U.S. such as fried chicken and meatloaf. This week I made meatloaf. I don't add the traditional bread crumbs to my meatloaf mix, but you can if you like.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Serves: 6 Total time: 1 hr 10 mins (10 mins for prep)

Taste in Bloom Original
Ingredients:

For the meatloaf:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 red apple, diced
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the topping:

• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, apple, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper by hand until thoroughly mixed. 

Using your hands, form mixture into a loaf and place it into a loaf pan, that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover with a lid or foil.

Place the loaf pan in the center of the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. 

In a small bowl, combine ketchup, spicy brown mustard and brown sugar until thoroughly mixed.

When the meatloaf has cooked for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and spread the topping evenly over the meatloaf. Replace the cover and return the meatloaf to the oven and allow it to cook for another 30 minutes.

Allow the meatloaf to sit on the counter for a few minutes before removing the cover and slicing. Serve warm.