I call this, Meat Therapy. I had a hankerin’ for some meatloaf the other night, a good solid hank. I knew Tiny E wouldn’t have anything to do with it, so I figured I could really mess with the recipe I usually use and not hurt anyone. Or piss them off, that’s no good. Wanna come see what I did to this one?
Here’s yer ingredient list:
2 lbs 20% fat ground beef
1 to 2 El Salvadorian Chorizo sausage links
1.5 cup fresh bread crumbs (1 or 1 1/2 slices) / crackers
1 extra large egg
1/3 cup whole milk, prollly a little more. I’ll kick you ass if you mention non-fat.
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt, only if using saltless crackers
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp habanero powder – don’t breathe this, it hurts a lot. No really, I mean it.
2 smooshed fresh garlic cloves
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Here’s the scoop, it’s fricken meatloaf, mMm kay? Combine as usual, but leave the sausage links whole. Form a loaf on an open cookie sheet, remove top, insert whole sausages and replace top and make nice.
note: used flashlight to make onion hot
Smear smoove loaf with favorite hot sauce. Then add good ketchup and smather together. What we end up with is something that’s full of tomato action with a strong influence of real flavors. Here’s what you gets:
The smells from the oven were outstanding. Over time you got the ripeness from the encased sauce, then the meat. Then the caramelization of it all together. The last flavor thought was the chorizo as it melded through. And do you have any idea how good this was in a little scrambled eggs the next day? I do, badass.
Listen, while this was a ‘spicy’ dish, it wasn’t all that terribly HOT. Once you cook the chile peppers, they mellow and lend other flavors. While I won’t cook this for my boys, I will cook this again for company, and you know who you are. Tee hee.
Thank you so much for stopping by and hope you’re doing well.
xo, Biggles
Meatloaf reminds me of sleepeovers at my friends’ homes when I was growing up; friends who had lots of brothers and sisters and a neat mom and dad who were cool, funny and liked additional kids at the supper table.
Can’t remember what or how those meatloaves were made but they always seemed “right on” and so much better than what my own home fare was on any night of the week.
I remember one meatloaf/overnight. The dinner had mashed potatoes, from real potatoes, and there was gravy from the meat loaf … how do you get gravy from a meat loaf?! … and a huge green salad with tomatoes, radishes, scallions, grated carrots and a bunch of other veggies … and we had to drink milk with our meal … low fat stuff … and there was always dessert afterward.
Ymmmmmmmmm!
I never wanted to go home! I WAS home!
So, why doesn’t Eli like meatloaf?????????? Fess up!
Eli ain’t hip to flavors. Buttered toast and milk for dinner? He’s fine, even at 7 years. Sigh.
But he likes white pepper on his scrambled eggs, what’s that all about?
Biggles
I know who I am! Me! Me!
Poor Tiny E. He’ll get an awakening. I await the awakening.
Meatloaf rules, especially this time of the year. But why do I think there’s cheese in there, in that photo? Tell me, do.
Little E will be okay. The most persnickety kids somehow turn out to be adventurous (though the transition period can be weird). Thanks for letting him eat what he will, thereby avoiding food “issues”.
And were those peas or edamame? Peas are perfect. BB will vouch for that, I’m sure.
Damn, hmm. Yum! I never had meatloaf growing up. Not once. OK, maybe at a friend’s house. Same with mac ‘n’ cheese. In my thirties I decided to make the latter cuz I thought: hmm, I should have mac ‘n’ cheese before I die. I used some sharp cheddar and some Stilton and some Gruyère and some half and half. Seemed a little bland from the pre-Web recipe I’d gotten from somewheres, so I added some fresh jalapeños. It was grand, but as a friend told me, Jim, it ain’t mac ‘n’ cheese.
Everything sounds and looks great. What is that green stuff in your first picture. Are you all right???
Ahem, Mister Modesty —
Are you going to tell the nice people about your nomination for Best Theme Blog, or do I have to do it for you?
(Oh, guess I just did. Hm, fancy that.)
Kudzu,
Oh yeah, forgot about that. And it looks creepy to me. Uh, Tiny E was making quesadillas. I love cheese and tossed a few shreds on there.
CB,
I know, those things slipped in there. Tiny E didn’t like them either.
Anita,
Sssshhhhh, it’s a secret!
Biggles
I use sausage in my “meat lump,” too, but I mix it all in and I like celery in as well as onion. This is making me hungry!
Hey Zoomie,
I opted for the sausage link to give a distinctive flavor to the log, non homogenous. I have a recipe from 1968 that uses a large pickle instead of the sausage links. I’ll try that next time, eh?
Biggles
Can’t face the pickle but I like the idea of the whole links encased in meat lump! Might even be pretty if you placed them just so and sliced it just right! 🙂
True comfort food, this recipe looks really good.