Frosted Meatloaf

Every once in a while I get an unstoppable craving for meatloaf.  It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, there’s nothing to do but drop everything and make meatloaf.  Good old, plain old, reliable meatloaf.  And usually with this craving comes the need to have mashed potatoes and peas-and-carrots with the meatloaf.

This morning the craving struck…but with a twist.  I read somewhere about the concept of frosted meatloaf, with the frosting being the mashed potatoes.  And the more I thought about it, the more I had to go for it.  I’m completely devoted to shepherd’s pie, and frosted meatloaf is pretty much the exact same thing in meatloaf form, when you think about it.  So I started out with a good basic meatloaf recipe – in this case, The Pioneer Woman’s recipe which has been on my list to make for ages.  It’s a nice simple meatloaf that is glazed with a topping of ketchup mixed with brown sugar and dry mustard.  Yum.

When it came out of the oven, I had the mashed potatoes all ready to roll.  Now, if I had been feeling REALLY energetic I would have made them from scratch, but I will be totally honest and tell you I bought a tub of the already-made variety at the supermarket.  I like the Simply Potatoes brand – they are usually in the refrigerated section next to those rolls of tube biscuits that I secretly adore, and they are pretty dang good for pre-made mashed potatoes.  Anyway, when the meatloaf came out of the oven I took my handy spatula and frosted that baby up with the mashed potatoes.  Then I brushed the top with melted butter and put the whole thing under the broiler for about 3 minutes, just enough to brown the potatoes in a few teeny places here and there.  It came out looking like a mashed potato cake.

The Southern husband suggested putting a candle in it before I took its picture, but frankly, I was too eager to actually EAT the thing to get too fancy with the photography.  And you know what?  It was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be.  Warm and wonderful and comforting meatloaf with a coating of creamy mashed potatoes, and yes, some peas and carrots on the side.

All is now right with my world.

 Frosted Meat Loaf, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl 

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Frosted Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 cup Whole Milk

6 slices White Bread

2 pounds Ground Beef

1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt

¾ teaspoons Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley

4 whole Eggs Beaten

1-½ cup Ketchup

⅓ cups Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

Tabasco To Taste

2-3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (I used the Simply Potatoes brand)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes. Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

2. With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

3. Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the meatloaf. Spread with a spoon.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let raise oven temperature to 450.

5. Cool meatloaf for 10 minutes, then "frost" top and sides with warm mashed potatoes. Brush with melted butter and return to oven and bake until potatoes are slightly tipped with brown, about 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve!

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