healthy-ish meatloaf and rosemary roasted potatoes

Meatloaf is one of those things that I don't follow a recipe for, and I don't necessarily make it the same way every time. Whenever I see a new meatloaf recipe, I may incorporate some of the ingredients the next time I make it. The basic foundation is meat + something bread-y + eggs + some kind of vegetables + seasoning + some kind of sauce on top. Here's what I did this time, with alternates that I've tried before:


For the vegetable base I chopped up 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery and about 4-5 garlic cloves (I always use way too much garlic, I love it). I cooked it first in butter and olive oil (1 T each), for about 5 minutes, then stirred in 1/3 cup ketchup and a few shakes of worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper.


While that cools, and the oven is preheating to 350 degrees, I mixed up the rest. I used a pound of ground sirloin, and a pound of sausage. Tonight I tried fresh spicy italian turkey sausage from WF. I've used regular pork sausage before, and you can tell the meatloaf is a little juicier. But with the difference in calories/bad stuff, I can't justify not trying the turkey version. It worked pretty well. Just remember if you use fresh sausage you have to peel off the skin (slice it down one side long ways, and the meat should pop right out).

Anyway, beat 2 eggs to add to the meat. Then either use a slice or 2 of white bread (no crusts), crumbled w/a splash of milk, OR use 1/2 to 2/3 cup of breadcrumbs (either plain or italian works, I used the latter this time). I chopped a handful of parsley to add as well. Add the cooled vegetable mix to all of this, then start mushing it all up with your hands.

You just form it into a loaf shape -- I use a medium size pyrex dish, not a loaf pan, b/c I don't like the loaf to touch the sides of the pan. This time I covered the meatloaf with ketchup, but I've used marinara sauce before and I think I like that better. Bake for an hour.

When the meatloaf comes out, it has to sit for at least 10 minutes. I turn the oven up to 450, throw in the potatoes and roast them for 20 minutes, then everything is ready to eat at the same time. (I quartered the baby potatoes so they cook faster, then toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a chopped sprig of rosemary; line a cookie sheet with foil and dump all the potatoes on top.)