dinnervine meatloaf with bacon
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: loaf pan of meat loaf
 
Bacon, garlic and some cheese make this loaf. Serve it over smashed rosemary potatoes and you have one delicious take on a comfort classic, your family will be asking for again!
What to get:
  • 2 lbs - lean ground beef (grass fed angus beef, I use 15% fat)
  • 6 strips maple bacon, uncooked
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ sweet white onion, chopped finely
  • 3 T zucchini, finely grated
  • ½ - ¾ cup dry bread crumbs, (I use Italian seasoned variety)
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 T parmesan cheese blend, shredded
  • 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
  • 1.5 T fresh parsley, chopped
  • ¼ tsp fresh lemon zest
  • * 2 oz, small cheddar cheese cubes (for center of baking meatloaf), optional
For The Sauce:
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 T dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp white wine
For The Smashed Rosemary Potatoes:
  • 1 lb bag of mini red potatoes, scrubbed
  • 3 T unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 T Half-and-Half (I use fat free)
  • 1-2 T fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, to taste
  • Sea salt & black pepper to taste
What to do:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 & spray a loaf pan with oil.
  2. Line oiled loaf pan with 3 bacon strips, lengthwise down pan & up side.
  3. In large mixing bowl, make meat mix by combining: ground beef, onion, garlic, zucchini, bread crumbs, parmesan, ketchup, Worcestershire, parsley, zest, eggs, salt & pepper.
  4. Mix until combined (avoid over-mixing, which toughens meat mixture).
  5. Press meat mix evenly into lined loaf pan & make several holes with end of spoon or chopstick.
  6. Whisk together sauce ingredients & spread ½ sauce mix evenly onto top surface of meatloaf.
  7. Place the remaining 3 strips of bacon on top of meatloaf, lengthwise.
  8. Bake meatloaf uncovered for ~40 mins, checking throughout to make sure bacon isn't burning on edges (if so tent with foil)..
  9. *If adding small cheese pieces, temporarily peel-back bacon slices and make small slivers evenly throughout loaf as it will not be totally firm yet (use a knife or chop stick) and press cheese pieces down halfway into meatloaf, pinching meat mix above to seal, covering top with a little more sauce (replacing bacon slices on top to again lay flat).
  10. Return pan to oven and bake ~25 more mins.
In the meantime, Make Potatoes:
  1. In large pot with salted water boil small red potatoes on high, until tender with a fork (~20 min).
  2. Drain potatoes, return them to warm pot & smash with potato masher or wooden spoon, with skins.
  3. To still warm smashed potatoes add butter, half-and-half, salt, pepper, & rosemary, keep warm.
  4. Remove meatloaf after the 25 min (if top bacon is not crispy enough, can broil for a few mins) then let let pan cool on a rack for ~15 mins before slicing, If juices have collected in pan, simply pour off).
  5. Slice meatloaf & serve over bed of smashed potatoes, serving with some additional juices or prepared ketchup sauce as desired.
  6. *you can keep top bacon slices, or discard as desired.I remove bottom bacon slices as they will not be crisp or brown.
Notes:
When baking the meatloaf in the oven, if top bacon slices start to burn, reduce oven temp slightly & tent pan with foil as needed. Though you want the top to crisp as much as possible while uncovered.
Juices will collect in th pan while this cooks, and you may see them around edges of the meatloaf itself, but you can drain some of them off (though they help the remaining meat stay moist), or simply slice leaving the juices behind in the loaf pan. I also spoon some sauce over meatloaf slices served on the potatoes—very good!
I remove the bottom slices of bacon before serving, but they are fine to keep, but will not brown or crisp significantly due to meat juices at bottom of pan (mainly used for flavor)!
Use leftovers to make warm, meatloaf panini sandwiches!
Recipe by the dinnervine at http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/06/bacon-wrapped-meatloaf/