Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I come from a very meat-and-potatoes family.  My mom still has Fried Chicken Mondays and makes mashed potatoes just about every night with dinner.  She also buys a side of beef (that’s half a cow!) every year for just the four people still living in the house.  When I was a vegetarian in high school, I ate a salad for every meal because my mom didn’t know what else to make without meat in it.  Moral of the story: We eat a lot of meat.  And we eat a lot of potatoes.  With Mothers’ Day coming up, what better way to celebrate my mom and the childhood she gave me than to make my wonderful boyfriend a Brown Sugar Meatloaf and Fingerling Potatoes with Shallots and Garlic?






Kieran and I have been very busy lately taking care of our newest puppy, Kinley.  She’s just a little bundle of energy and so much fun to be around.  She has the best personality of any dog I’ve ever met (don’t tell Simon!!), and is so calm and loving when you’re ready to relax or super playful and active when we’re going on walks.  I can’t say enough good things about her.  However, she has made it really difficult to cook a lot since we have to constantly watch her to make sure she’s not bullying her big brother!  She’s getting more and more settled into her new life everyday, so we’re slowly getting back into the swing of cooking again.  In fact, she and Simon sat in the kitchen with me while I cooked this meal!  I’m sure it was my company that kept them there and not the fact that I was feeding them apples…

Anyway, this recipe is for a very simple, hearty dinner.  Meatloaf isn’t something that comes to mind when you think of spicing up dinner, but this isn’t a recipe for just any meatloaf!  The ground ginger, dried mustard and garlic powder really compliment the sweetness from the brown sugar.  I made this meatloaf for my mom the very first time she came to visit me in Chicago, and she absolutely loved it!  And then I made it again for my sister around Christmastime and we made an entire meal of it!  This is the type of meal that I can’t wait to someday make for my kids in hopes that they’ll think I’m God’s Gift to Meatloaf.  It’s really that good.  And did I mention the potatoes!! Delicious.  I couldn’t quit eating them while Kieran was on a beer run (don’t tell Kieran!!).  It’s not a decadent meal by any means, but if you want something a little out of the ordinary that will really hit the spot and remind you of your childhood, this meat and potatoes combo is perfect for you!  The Brown Sugar Meatloaf is adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf


Brown Sugar Meatloaf

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ingredients (about 6 servings):

  • 1/4 c. ketchup (just eyeball it to form a layer in the loaf pan)
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1 lb. ground beef (we used 80/20)
  • (2) eggs
  • 3/4 c. milk
  • 1 c. finely crushed Saltine crackers (about 16 crackers)
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • pinch of salt and pepper

directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Squeeze ketchup into the bottom of the loaf pan and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar so it is completely covered.  This layer should be about 1/2-inch deep.
  2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  We recommend using your hands to mush it all together.
  3. Press the meat mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until loaf firms up and browns on top.
  4. Drain grease/juices off of meatloaf before serving.  We usually flip the loaf out on to a plate to drain away this liquid and to make it easier to cut and serve.


Fingerling Potatoes with Shallots and Garlic

(Inspired by a dream I had, but it had bacon in it in my dream, and we didn’t have any in the house in real life. I’m sure it’d be really, really, really ridiculously good with crumpled up bacon on it, though.)

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ingredients (2 to 3 side servings):

  • (10) fingerling potatoes, cubed (yellow and/or red)
  • (1) shallot, halved and sliced
  • (1) clove garlic, diced
  • 1 tbs. olive oil
  • pinch of salt and pepper to taste
  • medium sized pot of boiling water

directions:

  1. Boil the potato cubes until tender, but still firm.  This should take about 5 minutes in boiling water.  You don’t want them to get so tender that they fall apart.
  2. While potatoes are boiling, heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until shallot and garlic are soft and fragrant.  Reduce heat to low until potatoes are finished.
  3. When potatoes are done, drain off the water and add potatoes to saute pan.  Increase heat back to medium/medium-high and cook potatoes until everything is hot and crispy!


Kieran and I should have a few more recipes being posted here soon! We’re so glad to be back!!


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