Meatloaf

I was not a huge fan of meatloaf growing up. My mom didn't make it and, the rare times that I ate it at a friend's house it always tasted more like filler than meat, and I never liked the gloppy, sweet ketchup sauce that was smeared across the top before it was cooked. I can't remember à propos what, but L. announced the other day that he had never had it so I decided to reinvent the wheel, not so much for the meatloaf itself, though it certainly lends itself to mashed potatoes, but for the slice saved to be eaten cold in tomorrow's lunch sandwich.

Had I waited a bit for it to set, and had I a serrated knife, the slice would have looked better. That being said, this was no meatloaf from my childhood.

1 lb best quality ground meat beef (I chose a 80/20 fat ratio)

1/2 lb best quality ground pork

1 cup very finely chopped herbs and vegetables of your choice (I used turnip greens, celery, celery leaves, carrots and bell pepper. I considered using cabbage but was worried that the meatloaf would taste too much like stuffed cabbage. Use whatever you have in the hydrator.)

2 cloves roasted garlic (I had some left from yesterday's pork chops but otherwise cut the top of of a head of garlic, wrap it in aluminium foil and right before you crumple up the top to enclose the bulb, drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 23-30 minutes. Your house will taste great and you will be able to use the end result in a myriad of things, squeezing the now mushy cloves from the dried out bulb.)

2 tsps Worcestershire sauce

2 tsps grated horseradish

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Place half of cup of water poured over ice cubes in the freezer. Preheat oven to 375.

Combine all of the ingredients except for the tomato paste and wine together and combine so that the vegetables are spread out evenly through the ground meat.

Remove the glass from the freezer and pour the ice cold water over the meat mixture, NOT the ice cubes. Using your hand, stir in one direction until all of the water has been incorporated into the meat and the meat is starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the meat gently into a parchment paper lined oven safe dish; I used a bread tin. Do not pack the meat in, but rather plop it in spoon by spoon or the meatloaf will be very dense. Smooth the top of the meatloaf to make a dome.

Whisk the red wine and tomato paste together and brush this sauce over the top of the meatloaf.

Place the dish containing the meatloaf on a foil lined baking tray and bake for 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the oven and lift it, still in its parchment "wrapper" onto a serving board. Tent it with foil and leave for 10 minutes.

While the meatloaf is setting, pour all of the pan juices which have accumulated in the bread tin and the baking tray into a small pan and bring to a boil.

Reduce by half, taste for salt and pour over mashed potatoes if serving with the meatloaf, or directly over the meatloaf slices. I like a dollop of grain mustard on the meatloaf as well.

#meatandgame