Meatloaf. No, Not the Band.

I have a small confession to make. Yesterday I had my first stab at making meatloaf. I’m not sure what took me so long. If it’s the fact that I grudgingly ate it as a child, our year-long hiatus from beef and pork, or the words “meat” and “loaf” back to back. Let’s safely go with all three.

I actually enjoyed the process of making the loaf. The soaking of the bread, the addition of various aromatics and flavor boosters, the forming of the loaf; I found it all rather therapeutic. Should we be at all worried?

All to say, I won’t wait another 34 years (I mean, uhhhhh 24 years, yeaaaah) to make meatloaf again.

Southwestern-Style Meatloaf:

What it took for 80:

(just kidding, more like 6)

· 1 pound lean ground beef

· 1 pound pork sausage

· 1 yellow onion, cut in a small dice

· 1 red bell pepper, cut in a small dice

· 1 jalapeno, minced

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· 4 oz sourdough bread, cut into 1 inch pieces

· 1 cup milk

· 1 tsp. lime zest

· 2 Tbs. cumin

· 2 Tbs. chili powder

· 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

· 2 eggs, lightly beaten

· 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

· 1/4^th cup finely chopped cilantro

· 1/4^th honey

· 1 Tbs. hot sauce

· coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in the medium skillet over medium. Add the onion and red bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and put in large bowl to cool.

In a large pan, soak the bread with milk and let sit for 5 minutes. Flip if needed to coat all the bread. Lightly squeeze the milk from the bread. Pull the bread apart a bit more and add it to the bowl of aromatics.

Add the meats and eggs to the bowl, along with the lime zest, cilantro, jalapeno and spices. Add the Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbs. salt and some good grinds of pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined, but avoid compacting into a mush.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, line the bottom with parchment paper. Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the dish, forming a 10 x 4-inch block with your hands.

In a small bowl, mix together the honey and hot sauce. Spread the glaze over the top and sides of the meatloaf, covering evenly.

In a 375 degree preheated oven, bake the meatloaf for roughly an hour, or until the center reaches 160 degrees. Check at 40 minutes to see where you stand. Turn on the broiler and let the glaze get nice and crispy, about 4 minutes.  Let loaf stand for 10 minutes before you eat. Serve with a green salad and peas.