Country Style Meatloaf

Meatloaf to me is a blank canvas

A place where you can imagine any flavors you want and put out a dinner that your family will remember

It’s a great left over meal, especially in sandwiches

We have 3 pounds of ground turkey, you can basically use what you want in meatloaf, ground beef, pork, veal, turkey, chicken or a combination of meats

That’s what makes it such a great meal choice

I wanted the make a wholesome and comforting meatloaf so I decided to go old school and make a Country style which typically has veggies in the meat mixture and a nice gravy to accent the end product

We are starting with 4 slices of bacon, 1 large onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk and 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper

 Slice up the bacon, chop the onions and garlic

Add the bacon to a pan and cook 3-4 minutes to render the fat out and brown it up

Add in the onions and garlic and cook another 4-6 minutes or until the onions are tender and slightly translucent

Peel your carrot and dice it along with the celery very finely

Add them to the pan along with the salt and pepper

Sweat these down 6-8 minutes

Turn the burner off and deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of bourbon (I did say country style)

Make sure the pan is in a safe place and light the bourbon

Swirl the pan around to burn off the alcohol

Once the flame is out set the veggies aside and allow them to cool off a bit

Next we have 3 pounds of ground turkey in a mixing bowl

Preheat an oven to 350 F

We will need at least 1 cup of bread crumbs (more as needed), 3 large eggs (whisked), 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley and 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Add these ingredients to the ground turkey

Add your precooked veggies in as well

Using your hands gently mix all the ingredients together

Then place them in a baking pan and form into a loaf

Place the loaf into the oven and cook for 30 minutes initially

While the loaf is cooking we are going to make a mushroom gravy

We will need 1 onion, 2 portabella mushrooms,  1 cup of beef stock, 2 cups of gravy base, 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master

When I make meals like roast beef or pork I save any left over gravy and freeze it, which comes in very handy when you want a gravy for a meal that is not going to readily give you pan juices to use

This is what I refer to as gravy base

If you don’t have this, just add more beef stock and thicken it with a flour and butter roux

Click on this link to make Homemade Beef Stock

Remove the stems and gills and give the mushrooms caps a chop

Peel and chop the onion

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat

Cook the onions and mushrooms for 6-8 minutes, then deglaze the pan with the beef stock and cook another 2-3 minutes

Add in the gravy base

Then add in the Gravy master and heavy cream

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 4-6 minutes or until slightly thickened

Season with salt and pepper to taste

At the 30 minute mark remove the meatloaf from the oven

Looking good

Typically I like to glaze my meatloaf, but I thought I would like to try something new

Like cheese!

I shredded an 8 ounce block of cheddar and placed that right on top of the loaf

Put it back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes or until all the cheese has melted and is bubbly

YUM!

Let the loaf rest at least 10 minutes before slicing

Then serve with the delicious mushroom gravy!

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear

Royal Classique 10 Piece Measuring Cups and Spoons Set

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

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