I’ve loved meatloaf ever since I was a kid, when my Mum often made it as a Sunday treat; actually, I like it better than a ‘proper’ roast beef or pork, because it’s softer and lighter – but I’d never endeavoured to do it myself before, because somehow I thought it would be difficult. Well, I can assure you now, dear friends, that this great international dish is not difficult to do at all; in fact, it’s one of the easiest recipes for an oven dish that I’ve ever done!
It’s also cheap, and the ingredients are easy to get, so it makes a perfect Sunday dish for a family; while, if you’re only one or two in your household, you can put half of the slices in the freezer and save them for another meal or two!
The ingredients for the loaf are: 700g mince, 1 egg, 1 onion, 200ml milk, 200g breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper
And the ingredients for the sauce: 100ml ketchup, 2tbsp mustard, 2tbsp sugar
Chop the onion finely and put it in a big bowl with the mince, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, salt and spices; mix thoroughly with your hands until the mixture is smooth – it’s fun, you’ll see! Then, put it in a slightly greased rectangular baking tin.
In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, mustard and sugar with a spoon, then pour the mixture over the meatloaf.
Bake in the oven at 180° for 1 hour; it’ll actually rise, almost a bit like a loaf of bread!
Prepare a suitable platter, then loosen the loaf from the tin all around with a spatula, and with the help of a second spatula heave it out of the tin and onto the platter – ready!
Cut into slices and serve with a side dish of your choice – pasta, rice or potatoes are perfect. You can also add some gravy, enriched for example with sliced mushrooms!
Roberta Franklin 