Don’t Try The Caf’s Amphetameatloaf

_ _Nothing is less sexy than meatloaf. From the time I was old enough to understand how disgusting the term “meatloaf” was, I always groaned when I knew that’s what we’d be eating come dinner time. That’s not to say that I dislike the dish at all. In fact, I really like meatloaf… I’m a serious carnivore. So when I decided to make it for my boyfriend the other night, I thought I’d be witty and come up with a new name for the meal; I looked up both “meat” and “loaf” in my thesaurus (yes, I own a thesaurus, get over it) and came up with a new moniker… But when I told Nick that I was going to put the “beef brick” in the oven his response was: “you’re a beef brick!” Thanks honey. Ok, so that idea won’t be catching on any time soon, but you can kick up the simple meatloaf you usually make with the addition of bacon, this tangy sauce and a fun new name of your own—Flesh cube? Muscle bun? Good lord.

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Ingredients:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

3 slices White Bread (preferred but wheat is fine)

1/2 cup Whole Milk

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

1- 1 1/2 tbsp Onion Soup Mix (you can add more or less depending on taste, I tend to go with less)

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

1 large Egg

Bacon (usually you’ll need about 6-8 slices but it depends on how big the slices are)

FOR THE SAUCE:

3/4 cup Ketchup

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Powdered Mustard

1-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

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Preheat to 350°F

1. In a large bowl, pour the milk over bread slices and let sit for a couple of minutes so that it completely soaks through.

2. In the same bowl then combine all the other ingredients except the egg and bacon, mixing thoroughly (it’s easiest to use your hands, although totally disgusting).

3. Lightly beat the egg with a fork and then combine that to the meat mixture (I giggled as I typed “meat mixture”) as well. If you feel like there’s too much liquid and it won’t easily form into a “loaf” you can always add some bread crumbs or torn up bread slices until it gets a little thicker and can be better molded.

4. Shape the meat into a loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet and lay the strips of bacon over the top, tucking the edges under the meatloaf.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes and while it’s cooking, put together the sauce in a small bowl or measuring cup.

6. After about 15 minutes pour 1/3 of the sauce over the meatloaf and spread to coat. Allow it to cook for 30 minutes before pouring another 1/3 of the sauce over it. Bake an additional 15 minutes (for a total of an hour) and remove from the oven to slice. Keep 1/3 of the sauce reserved for dipping– unless you’re like me and you just class it up with plain ketchup.