This afternoon I asked my kids the eternal question, "what sounds good for dinner?" I am not sure why I am always surprised that no one has a suggestion. For me, the idea is the most challenging part of the equation. I made several suggestions, and they were all shot down. How about meatloaf, I asked, and they didn't instantly reject the idea. Meatloaf it is! I ran to the store, because I knew that if I got it in the oven, it could cook during the hour of piano lessons. By the time piano lessons were finished, my kitchen smelled like bacon heaven. For those of you lucky enough to live in Kansas City, McGonigle's Market has the best meatloaf mix. It is one part ground pork, one part ground veal, and 2 parts ground chuck. You can combine your own mixture of meats, or simply use ground chuck in place of meatloaf mix.
Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes cook at the same temperature, so I put them on one rack, and the meatloaf on the other. One hour at 350 degrees.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds of meatloaf mix (or ground chuck)
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
1/4 cup of minute tapioca pearls (aka quick cooking tapioca)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of smashed Epic brand BBQ pork rinds
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
1 jar of bacon jam
Combine all ingredients except the bacon jam in a large bowl and use your hands to combine.
Shape the meat mixture into 2 large loaves on a sheet pan lined with foil or a silicone mat.
Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of bacon jam over each loaf and back at 350 degrees for one hour.
Serve with remaining bacon jam spooned over each slice.
PEA PUREÉ
1 bag of frozen baby peas, thawed
2 tablespoons of grassfed butter or ghee
1/2 cup of bone broth or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Combine all of the ingredients in a high speed blender.
Let the blender run for a couple of minutes until the puree starts to warm up.
Serve with the meatloaf.
The smoky meatloaf and sweet peas are a perfect pair.