MMMMeat loaf

[I apologize for the long break between postings. Guess we were too busy to cook, what with selling a house and buying another one 550km away. I'd blame the hot summer weather, but here in Ontario, it's been a cool, rainy, unpredictable summer best spent indoors.]

On a rainy summer evening, when both my wife and I feel like we might be fighting off colds (or if you're buying the media hype, H1N1 and certain death), my kitchen fancy turned to comfort foods.

What better for comfort than meatloaf? With enough lead time, you can throw it together and stick it in the oven (with a few sweet potatoes, or just baking potatoes) and have time to watch precisely two episodes of Style By Jury while it cooks. With the cheese added in, you get moist, tasty loaf that doesn't require gravy in any way. Which makes it all the more easy to prepare.

MARSHAL'S MOZZA-MEATLOAF

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup grated mozzerella (or other good melting cheese of choice)
1/2 cup oatmeal (quick oats are ideal)
2 TBSP ketchup or tomato sauce
2 TBSP Barbeque sauce (or use ketchup)
1 shallot, minced (or 1/4 of a red onion)
1 clove garlic, crushed
Dash of Worcestshire sauce (or hot sauce if you prefer)
Salt & pepper


Ready? This is über-easy. To start, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Throw everything on the ingredients list in a bowl. Mix it up (I just throw on latex gloves and dig in with my hands here). Mold into a small log, put in a meatloaf pan or bread pan. Chuck it in the oven, with timer set for 30 minutes.

When the timer goes off, drizzle more barbeque sauce (about 1/3 cup) over the meatloaf. Put in back in for another 25 minutes.

When the timer goes off again, remove meatloaf from oven, and cover very loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes (this firms it up so you can slice it). Remove from pan, slice, and serve.

Don't go overboard on the cheese, or your loaf will be less than solid. This proportion worked out just right for us tonight - nice and cheesy, but not falling apart entirely when I served it.

So go on, put in the movie, settle in with your plates on the couch, and dig in. As I said above, it's great to pair this with baked sweet potato, or regular baked potatoes. And your veggie(s) of choice.

Makes enough for four adults, or two plus their lunches for the next day. Because the only thing better than meatloaf might just be cold meatlof the day after.