Recipe - All-American Meatloaf

All-American Meatloaf

(a variation of Martha Stewart’s recipe)

3 slices white bread
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2-inch squares
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ketchup
4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 pounds Princess Beef hamburger
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1teaspoon Tabasco Sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, plus more needles for sprinkling
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1tablespoon olive oil
1small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick squares

Heat oven to 400°. Remove crusts from bread and process slices in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried bread crumbs in this step, as they will make your meat loaf rubbery.

Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced. (Chopping vegetables this way ensures that vegetables will be small enough to cook through). Transfer vegetables to bowl with the bread crumbs.

Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons mustard, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Transfer mixture to a loaf pan.

Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Generously brush the glaze over loaf.

Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Sprinkle onion over the meat loaf.

Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until a thermometer inserted into the loaf registers 160°, about 25 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool for 15 minutes.