Cookbook:Meatloaf Dinner

Learn to enjoy it when you hear meatloaf is for dinner. Add mashed potatoes, gravy, and roast vegetables, and you've got a big plate of comfort.

Meatloaf

 * ½ pound ground sirloin
 * ½ pound ground chuck
 * 6 ounces garlic croûtons, coarsely crushed
 * 1 ½ tsp salt
 * 1 ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
 * ¼ cup ketchup
 * ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
 * 1 ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
 * 1 egg, beaten
 * 2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
 * 2 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
 * 6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
 * ½ large onion, diced
 * 3 carrots, peeled and diced
 * ½ red bell pepper, diced
 * 4 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 6 pieces and crisp-cooked
 * 2 tbsp bacon fat

Gravy

 * 1 cup chicken broth
 * 1 cup heavy cream
 * Fond from meatloaf pan
 * 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mashed potatoes

 * 1 ½ pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
 * 4 tbsp unsalted butter
 * ¼ cup heavy cream
 * 1 tsp salt
 * 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
 * 1 egg yolk, beaten

Roast vegetables

 * 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1½-inch pieces
 * ½ cup olive oil
 * Salt
 * Freshly-ground black pepper
 * 6 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
 * 1 large onion, wedged
 * ½ each green bell pepper and red bell pepper, cut into 2½-inch strips

Meatloaf

 * 1) Heat a large stainless steel straight-sided sauté pan over medium high heat.
 * 2) Add the bacon drippings, garlic, and vegetables. Sauté until vegetables are lightly browned around edges. Remove vegetables and set aside until cool.
 * 3) Mix remaining meatloaf ingredients and sautéed vegetables but leave out the bacon. Shape with a loaf pan and place on an ungreased, unlined baking pan.
 * 4) Insert a probe thermometer at a 45 degree angle into the center of the loaf. Bake the loaf at 325°F until internal temperature reaches 155°F.
 * 5) Keep warm on a different pan than the one you used to cook it.

Roast vegetables

 * 1) In a separate oven, prepare the vegetables. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
 * 2) Lay vegetables in a single layer on a half-sheet pan.
 * 3) Bake at 450°F, shaking the pan halfway, for about 25 minutes. Keep warm.

Gravy

 * 1) Heat meatloaf pan over medium-high heat on two burners.
 * 2) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking often, until blond.
 * 3) Deglaze pan with broth and boil until reduced by ⅔.
 * 4) Add cream and Worcestershire sauce, and reduce heat to below a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened and gravy coats the back of a spoon.

Mashed potatoes

 * 1) While broth for the gravy is reducing above, prepare the potatoes. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.
 * 2) Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10–15 minutes.
 * 3) Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds.
 * 4) Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan.
 * 5) Mash the potatoes and then add the cream, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well-combined.

Serving

 * 1) Slice meatloaf nice and thick and place a dollop of mashed potatoes on your plate.
 * 2) Top with a few slices of meatloaf and some roast vegetables, then smother the whole thing with gravy.
 * 3) Serve.