June wa Ranja: Meatloaf according to the Sandwich King

In her own words…


I had always been curious about meatloaf from the TV shows I had watched growing up. The idea of all that meat cooked into something like bread was very exciting, and in my mind very tasty.

delicious!
delicious!

I had always thought it was a complicated process until I watched The Sandwich King, Jeff Mauro, on food network preparing meatloaf for a sandwich. I replicated his recipe that same day excluding the Sandwich part. It has been my most successful experiment to date, and always a hit with my guests. I love it coz its simple tasty and all the ingredients are easily accessible to us locally.  

The original recipe calls for three different meats. Minced beef is the main one, then you mix in a bit of pork mince and veal mince. But I make it with plain beef mince. Here is a list of what you will need for the meatloaf:

1 kg minced beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup coarsely crushed salt crackers
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
2 large eggs
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh dhania

I have adjusted some of the quantities  a bit,  for example I’ve used a bit more garlic…

It sounds like a lot of work but once you have everything on your countertop ready to go you can multitask and it’s quick. First, set the oven to preheat at 180°C. Then dice the onion and crush the garlic

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the garlic ready to go
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place the onions in a small pot with the oil to fry on medium heat. Once they become translucent add the garlic and cook for two more minutes, don’t let the garlic burn/brown
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While the onions and garlic are going, you can be crushing the salt crackers in a bag
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measure the 1 cup and put in a large mixing bowl

By now the onions and garlic should be done, set then aside to cool

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to the bowl add the milk, mustard, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (optional)

Whisk it all together into a smooth and pasty consistency

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then add your minced beef…
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the dhania and onion/garlic mix which should be cool enough to touch now, and salt and pepper to taste

the next bit you could do with a wooden spoon/fork but it will take a bit longer. Plus this is more fun! So wash your hands thoroughly!

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then dig in with your fingers and mix it all together till evenly combined

Then line a large baking pan with foil, pour the mix into the pan and form it with your hands

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keep it together, form a nice long loaf like shape, about 5 inches wide and 9 inches long, but doesn’t have to be perfect

Next, make the glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

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combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix…
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…pour on top of the meat and spread with a brush or spoon till evenly coated

Then place in the preheated oven, middle tray, to cook for about 1 hour, uncovered.

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and this is what it looks like when you pull it out!!

Let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving plate and make a few slices for ease of serving

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be generous with your slices
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trust me on this, just make two of them!

Ranja’s Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

You can save some of the glaze to give it another coat before serving but be careful not to cross contaminate while spreading the first time, don’t dip the spoon back in after spreading on the meat.

Enjoy!


I had a taste of this and I must say it’s on point! Plus, once you put it in the oven you are free to do other things so definitely a winner for making when expecting company.

And no, June is not done yet. There is another delight coming up in addition to part 2 of the interview so stay tuned!

 

About aika

Making, eating and sharing good food are a splendid way to start, brake and end a day! I post good eats on www.pendolamama.co.ke. Life is a feast, eat up!

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