I’d Do Anything For Loaf, But I Won’t Make That (Then I Did Make That)

Well, it’s officially winter, isn’t it? Here in Ottawa, that means there’s hardly any direct sunlight, the sky is a permanent shade of gunmetal grey, and it gets dark at about 4pm. So, for the next little while, I apologize for the (lack of) quality in my photography. My kitchen lighting isn’t the greatest, so I really rely on natural light to make my photos pop. And since there won’t be any of that for months… *sigh*

Anyways, last night I made something I’ve never made before! Never have I attempted a meatloaf in all my cooking career. They’re kind of hated on, aren’t they? Whenever I hear meatloaf, I picture some slovenly sitcom dad rolling his eyes and the kids making gagging noises.

Not exactly a well-loved piece of culinary history, is it? But, do meatloaves really suck or are they just badly prepared? Can you have a delicious, moist, well flavoured loaf, or are they destined to be bland, dry and boring?

I believe there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Similarly, there are no bad meatloaves, only cooks without the knowledge to make their loaves shine. This was my first attempt at a meatloaf, as I said earlier. And readers, not to brag, but I nailed it in one. It was terrific. I was ecstatic. So pleased with how it came out. I simply cannot wait to make some leftover meatloaf sandwiches for lunch.

I may have never made a meatloaf prior to this, but I’ve had several bad ones, so I knew what I wanted to avoid. No wimpy tasting loaf, that’s for sure. I wanted lots of savoury flavour, so I made sure to cook my vegetables in lots of umami-packed ingredients. Next time, I’m thinking of adding some anchovy fillets.

I wanted the slices to be well-formed, so I cut my onions tiny and shredded the carrots, rather than dicing them. None of these add-ins would create gaps or cracks in the loaf as it cooked.

Pre-soaking the breadcrumbs in milk meant that they were already hydrated. They didn’t steal the natural moisture from the meat, but they still provided structure and body to the loaf. This meant the end result was light as a feather, super juicy and actually, without hyperbole melted in the mouth.

You wanna make a loaf like I did? Lemme tell you how! And, once again, apologies for the picture quality. It’s gonna be a rough ride until the sun comes back. If anybody knows any food photo lighting hacks, please shoot me an email.

Best-Ever Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and very finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded on a box grater
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 4 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 6 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 1 sprig sage, leaves only, thinly sliced
• 15mL (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• 22mL (1.5 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
• 240mL (1 cup) beef stock
• 108g (1 cup) breadcrumbs or panko
• 240mL (1 cup) 2% milk
• 907g (2lbs.) medium ground beef
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6-8 sprigs Italian parsley, roughly chopped
• Ketchup, as needed

Method:

1. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat a film of canola oil over medium heat. Add the onions and a large pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the carrots and cook 4-5 minutes longer.
2. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and sage, cooking 1 minute until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock to the pan and bring the heat up to medium high. Simmer the mixture until it is almost dry, stirring often, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, in medium, non-reactive bowl add the milk to the breadcrumbs. Stir together with a fork and allow to hydrate fully, about 10 minutes. If the mix seems dry, add more milk, little by little, until a well-hydrated panade is achieved.
5. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the contents of the pan and the hydrated breadcrumbs. Season well with salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Add the beaten eggs and parsley. Gently mix until everything is well combined. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased loaf pan.
7. Spread as much or as little ketchup as you want over the top of the loaf, using a spatula to smooth it out.
8. Bake for roughly 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through, and optionally re-applying the ketchup glaze at the 30-minute mark. You’re looking for an internal temperature of about 160°F, but I didn’t temp mine. Because I was brave and hungry.
9. Allow to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before carefully transferring the loaf to a cutting board.
10. Slice and serve with additional ketchup, if desired.

That’s all, folks. You really want to take this over the top? Maybe make some buttermilk mashed potatoes on the side. Perhaps a mushroom gravy. All things I’ll teach you at a later date. But this loaf was so amazing, you could do worse than to eat it on its own. It was more like a pâté en terrine than what you’d think of a typical meatloaf.

What’s your take on meatloaf? I’d love to hear your recipes or stories, so feel free to leave a comment down below or shoot me an email. Until next time, I’m out of here like a bat out of hell.