Which Came First: The Meatloaf or the Meatloaf Sandwiches?

Just wanted to see if you were alert....

I think there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love meatloaf and... well, let's just pretend there's only one type of people in the world.

Mid-week, was craving something really meaty-meaty. And bread, good sourdough. Even better: meatloaf sandwiches!

I went with the Master for the recipe, Food God Mark Bittman. And no loaf pan baking. Here's the Master explaining:

Free-form meat loaf has several advantages over those cooked in loaf pans: It develops a lovely crust on three sides instead of just one, and the fat can run off, rather than become trapped between pan and meat. Plus it’s easy to shape by hand and always turns out in the shape you wanted. You can also shape this mixture into meatballs if you like; just bake them for about half the time.

One of the key steps to a good meatloaf is not to over-handle the meat mixture. It can toughen up. Mix gently and just until blended.

Now take a little care with your free-forming. You don't want things to end up looking like Sandra Lee's meatloaf. I really can't stand her. If you're of a similar mind, just look up her Kwanzaa Cake video. Yikes. Here's her meatloaf video. A good deal of blame should be directed toward her production manager. And please, I don't even want to know if she uses a food stylist. If she does.... egads. 

I can't find the comment any longer, but when I first saw this many years ago, someone commented that the long slow zoom in to the finished project was as solemn as if the camera was filming the corpse at the service:

Don't forget to wash your hands! 

When the meatloaf is finished, you can of course dive right in with some good mashed taters on the side. But one of the best things I think there is to do with meatloaf is make a sandwich out of it. I like good bakery sourdough, nice big slices, with some lettuce, just mayo and a big fat pickle.

This recipe makes three medium-sized loaves. I usually freeze one of them.

Quick, take the picture, they're slipping!

Meat Loaf

Adapted from Mark Bittman, How To Cook Everything

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Time: About 1 hour, largely unattended

1 /2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

1 /2 cup milk

2 pounds mixed ground meats: beef, veal, lamb, and/or pork (I went with 1/3 each beef, pork and veal)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 /2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 /4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 /2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 small onion, minced

1 small carrot, minced (I skip this, just not that into carrots in meatloaf)

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves or 1 pinch dried sage leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

(I add 1 couple of good healthy dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the mixture and brush the meatloaf with a mixture of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce before baking)

Heat the oven to 350°F. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk until the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Mix together all the ingredients except the bacon. Shape the meat into a loaf in a baking pan; top with the bacon if you like. (Brush with the sauce if you like. Also, I like a lot of brown crust so I make smaller loaves and reduce the cooking time a bit)

Ready for the oven!

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, basting occasionally with the rendered pan juices. When done, the meat loaf will be browned lightly and firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read 160°F.