paradise by the dashboard light?

noooo but it is a meatloaf reference and i made THE ultimate meatloaf last night. okay real simple featured a bacon, gruyere meatloaf in this month's issue..ur i mean in the april issue.

holy crap. 

that sounds a little over the top to me so naturally i had to make it. 

i admit it                i was lured in.

sheesh, so weak!
 

 

now i'm not one to follow a recipe to it's true design. however, i realize people like to know the exacts, especially if it's something they've never made before. so here's the scoop:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef chuck

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for serving

3 sm red onions (1 coarsely grated and 2 cut into wedges. NOTE the side dish with this recipe was roasted carrots & onions. we didn't do that. we had broccoli instead. so technically you really only need maybe 1 small onion)

2 slices of bacon, chopped

1 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large egg

3/4 cup grated gruyere or cheddar (3 oz)

kosher salt n' black pepper

here are my side comments: you could probably skip the bread crumbs and the onion. maybe use some onion powder if you don't like the red ones. as noted we didn't use the full amount. i actually diced 1/2 a small red onion and that was enough for me. i never put in the amount of garlic a recipe calls for. clove size varies so i make my own call on this one. bacon, oh bacon...

   i used maybe like 4 slices which is really like 2 after you cut away fat. i want the meat!   

i would never substitute cheddar. if i didn't have gruyere, i would not sub in cheddar. i'd call in gouda off the bench. yum yummers.

ketchup. please. and no thank you. and no, it was not present at serving time either. thank you very much!

so then you through everything into a bowl, get yer hands in there, really mix it up. except the gruyere you put in 1/2 cup of it.  

put your blended meat concoction into your bread pan or loaf pan. 

then sprinkle w/remaining 1/4 cup gruyere.

this cooks for 40 -45 mins at 400 degrees. after time is up, pour off any accumulated fat and let rest for 10 minutes. slice. impress your dinner guests.

viola!

i served the slice of meatloaf over a bed of fresh spinach.. the juices just softened it right up. de-lish!  

i will most definitely be making this dish again. so easy.