Meatloaf and Teeny Tiny Potatoes in Garlic Butter

A few months ago, I attempted to make a healthy meatloaf adapted from several recipes. It was suppose to be a turkey meatloaf that included sauteed zucchini and onions in it. Somehow, with herbs and a good helping of ketchup, I was going to make it delicious. What ended up coming out of the oven after an hour and a half of cooking was basically a meat mush. The color was a horrible sandy tan color. The liquid that rose to the top was murky with turkey impurities. There was no shape. It just lay there; a moist hill of meat. It went from the oven to the trash. I couldn't even look at it.

It was one of those cooking experiences that scars you. The kind where the fail was so harsh that you think about it and think about it until you are sure that you would never be able to make that particular dish successful. This was something I needed to overcome.

One day, Married with Dinner posted a comment on Twitter about meatloaf. I asked her which recipe she used and she forwarded it to me. Nutmeg? Allspice? Breakfast sausage? This was not a typical meatloaf recipe. But she had assured me that it was delicious and has converted meatloaf haters.

Married with Dinner's Meatloaf (click here for recipe)
(not adapted. I made this one exactly as she described it.)

Most items purchased at Trader Joes.

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck ($3.49 per lb)
1/2 pound pork breakfast sausage ($3 per lb)
1 onion, grated (free from previous purchase)
1 egg ($1.69 per dozen)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal (not instant)($2.49 per container)
1/4 cup milk ($1.99 per quart)
1 tsp salt (free from previous purchase)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (free from previous purchase)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (we had this but best place to buy is at Asian markets where you can buy them whole for cheap so you can grate it fresh.)
1/2 tsp allspice (free from previous purchase)


Teeny Tiny Potatoes

Potatoes ($1.99 for 1 lb bag)
3 cloves of garlic (free from previous purchase)
Salt (free from previous purchase)
2 tablespoons of butter ($2.99 for 1 lb)
2 tablespoons of olive oil (free from previous purchase)

Place potatoes in large saucepan and fill until potatoes are covered with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and place potatoes in a separate bowl. Put butter and olive oil in warm saucepan. Slice garlic into slivers and throw into saucepan. Keep on low for 10 minutes (watch carefully so that garlic does not burn. ) Throw potatoes back in pan and stir until potatoes are covered with garlic butter. Salt to taste.

This is a good meatloaf. Grating the onions made a difference because I find (from eating other people's meatloaves) the diced onions tend to break up the loaf and makes it crumbly. This was a solid meatloaf that was tender and moist (we ate it with ketchup on the side.) We cooked it for an extra 15 minutes because the juices did not run clear when we cut into it after 75 minutes. If we were to do this again, I would add a bit of fresh parsley to the mix to give it some green and little fresh kick to the meatloaf. If a mushroom gravy was made on the side, it would have been a good asset to the dish. But otherwise, this was a solid and satisfying meatloaf. We will make this again.