the ultimate comfort meal: meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Mike loves meatloaf but I have never been a fan-turns out I had just not had a meatloaf worth trying. Thanks to my lovely friend Katie for the recipe--it's actually a meatball recipe she re-purposed. (And she is also an amazing baker that I am trying to convince to guest blog--come on girl!)

Needless to say the inclusion of BBQ sauce really made this a Mike-approved meal, but even I loved it. I was happily eating the leftovers for days.

preheat oven to 350

glaze
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar

mix all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated and set aside

meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
2 eggs beaten with 1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parm (I used Pecorino Romano here)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
salt & pepper to taste

mix all ingredients in a bowl by hand. spray a loaf pan with cooking spray on all sides and place the mixture in the pan, molding it to a loaf shape and pressing down so its evenly distributed.

place in oven for 30 minutes, then add the glaze and bake for another 10 minutes.

mashed potatoes
4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tbsp butter
a few splashes of milk (or cream if you have it)
1 tbsp sour cream (optional) --makes them super creamy
salt and pepper for seasoning

boil your potatoes until they can be easily mashed with a fork. drain (but save about a cup of the water on the side) and place in mixing bowl with butter, milk or cream, sour cream and seasonings. blend with a hand blender until smooth and creamy--when you stir them you should not feel any lumps.

gravy
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
a few splashes of reserved potato water
salt and pepper for seasoning

melt butter in saucepan over medium heat with flour and whisk--you need to form a rue here and it should be on the thicker side since you will also be adding the potato water.

if it feels too thin, add more flour, and add a few splashes of the potato water--a teaspoon at a time. this will add flavor to the gravy.

add your seasonings and continue whisking everything together--it should be thick enough to stick to the back of your spoon, and continue to add seasoning and potato water (and flour as needed to achieve desired thickness) until you get the flavor you want. spoon on top of potatoes.


served with some roasted carrots and asparagus--delicious!