Herbed Meatloaf

After a particularly nasty cold made its rounds through the family, we were all in the mood for some good old-fashioned comfort food.  Preferably the kind with flavor.  Now that we can actually taste the flavor.  So I was happy to try out an intriguing meatloaf recipe that looked anything but boring. 

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to try it out.  Usually I make meatloaf with a combination of beef and some other ground meat (chicken, turkey or veal), especially when using lean ground beef, otherwise the meatloaf comes out too dry.  I was also worried because this meatloaf is roasted over a rack, rather than nestled in a loaf pan or on some other flat surface.  In my mind,  a loaf made of ground substance might ooze through the rack while it roasts.  Although a meatloaf that self-slices might be a convenient step-saver.    

 But since most of the recipes on Joy of Kosher are posted by experienced cooks, I threw caution to the wind and tried a version on for size.

I had no thyme to spare, but oregano was striking.  I was also lazy out of bread crumbs, fresh or otherwise (the original recipe wasn't specific) so I used panko bread crumbs instead.    As it turned out, the crispy Japanese-style bread crumbs absorbed and held in moisture (but I'm getting ahead of myself here).  There are several non-dairy brands available (with hechshers). I recommend trying panko in place of regular dried bread crumbs.  Or even fresh bread crumbs.

Oh, yeah, the original recipe calls for finely chopped onion.  My family likes larger diced pieces of onion, so that's how I tailored it.

The end result fit quite well, thank you.  A moist and tender meatloaf!  And, not only did it not fall through the rack, using the rack as a cutting guide made it easy to slice into uniform-sized servings! 

The slightly too-thick topping was a little sweet for our taste, so I finished altering the recipe steps and reduced the quantity of honey slightly and added in some water instead. 

A perfect size for my family! 


Herbed Meat Loaf
Adapted from Joy of Kosher
Yield: 6-8 Servings 
Note:  for a real comfort dinner, serve with mashed potatoes and peas.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 tsp. mustard powder (divided)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried sage (or 2 large fresh leaves, finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 egg plus 1 egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 Tbl. honey
1 Tbl. water
1 Tbl. tomato paste

 Preheat oven to 350F.   Insert rack in roasting pan.  Lightly spritz with cooking spray.

With (preferably clean) hands, gently work ground beef, 1 teaspoon of the mustard powder, oregano, sage, garlic powder, pepper, bread crumbs, onion and beaten eggs, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

Gently shape mixture into an 8 by 4 1/2- inch loaf, then place on prepared rack.

The topping here was made without the water & twice the honey. A tad thick.

Bake for 50 minutes. Combine honey, water, tomato paste and remaining dry mustard.  Spread mixture over top of meatloaf. Continue baking for 10 more minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf registers 160F.

Cut meatloaf into 1-2 inch slices.  If your rack is around the spacing of mine, use it as a guide.

Serve 1-2 slices (depending upon thickness) of meatloaf per person.