More Comfort Food: Old Fashioned Meat Loaf & Swedish Potatoes

I know…I know.  In fact, I already said it last week:  “While not a meat loaf and mashed potatoes kind of comfort food, spaghetti casserole is still an entrée that leaves you filled, as well as with a smile on your face…and that’s what comfort food is all about, right?”

Several of you reminded me that Spaghetti Casserole is not your typical comfort food.  I already agreed.  But, I also feel it qualifies.  However, to appease everyone, this week is:  Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes…and that’s what comfort food is all about, right?  Right!

Meat loaf was a favorite in our house when I was growing up, and it was always served with mashed potatoes.  Or, as a family friend referred to them:  smashed potatoes.

As anyone who has had a roommate will tell you, there is no shortage of philosophical discussions which roommates will debate.  The merits as well as the disadvantages of a wide variety of topics are heavily deliberated.  For my roommate and me, few of these discussions ended well…hardly ever amicably, and sometimes with someone being carted to the lake and tossed in.

One such discussion with my roommate, Kurt, centered around pairing fruit with meat.  He was not a supporter of such radical cuisine, citing Exhibit 1:  pineapple rings served with ham.  This combination was a revulsion in the highest.  Grapes in chicken salad?  Forget it!

Kurt proceeded to tell a story of his mother’s meat loaf recipe that called for a cup of corn flakes.  On one occasion, Edna was out of corn flakes, and the only comparable cereal in the pantry was raisin bran.  You guessed it:  Raisin Meat Loaf.

I couldn’t argue with that one.  Nobody went in the lake that night.

This meat loaf recipe is another from The Alpha Course Cookbook.  It’s been adapted only slightly.

OLD FASHIONED MEAT LOAF
(click on any image to enlarge it)

These are two of the four 18" meat loaves we made for our Alpha course dinner.

Ingredients:

1½ - 2 lbs. (approx.) lean ground beef

²/₃ cup bread crumbs

¾ cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 small onion, grated

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the glaze:

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup ketchup

1 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, onion, salt and pepper.  

Blend thoroughly with your hands and...

...shape into a loaf.  Place into a baking dish.  Many people like to use loaf pans, but doing this can result in a greasy meat loaf, as the grease has nowhere to go.  (Some loaf pans have an insert that allows the grease to drain away.)  Using a flat baking dish permits the fat to drain, and if desired can be suctioned out with a turkey baster.

You can make the glaze and spread it on the meat loaf before baking, or if you're pressed for time, start baking the meat loaf and apply the glaze when it's ready.  

To make the glaze, combine the brown sugar, nutmeg, ketchup, and dry mustard, whisking it until smooth.  Spread it over the top of the meat loaf.

Place the completed loaf in the oven and bake at 350° for approximately 60 minutes.  After approximately an hour, use a meat thermometer to determine doneness, (165° internally).

As you can tell from the photographs, I did not grate the onion and only chopped it.  Grating will enable it to "blend in" and you'll also get more flavor.

Serve with gravy, (thickened beef stock), and mashed potatoes, (below).

SWEDISH MASHED POTATOES

This recipe is also from The Alpha Course Cookbook.  It has been adapted slightly.  When we served these at Parker Ford Church last week, one youngster, who was coming through the line, announced, “These are just mashed potatoes.”  My response was given in my best Swedish, of course.

Ingredients:

6-8 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half

6 ounces of cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons onion salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes (optional)

Directions:

Cook potatoes in salted water until tender.

Mash until smooth with no lumps.  I use a Foley Food Mill.  It’s great for making mashed potatoes.

Guaranteed, there will be no lumps!

Add remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.  The original recipe called for additional salt, on top of the onion salt.  We felt it wasn’t needed, but add more, after tasting, if you like.

You can serve the potatoes at this point, or place them in a buttered casserole, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

To reheat, remove from refrigerator approximately 90 minutes before dinner, and allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour.  Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Enjoy!