Glazed Meatloaf

Glazed Meatloaf...Elizabeth Morgan

for January swap

Ingredients

1Tbs olive oil
1½cups onion, chopped
3garlic cloves, minced
2large eggs
½cup milk
2tsp dijon mustard
1tsp hot sauce
1½tsp fresh marjoram, or ½ teaspoon dried, crumbled
1½tsp fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried, crumbled
salt and freshly ground pepper
1lb chuck (ground beef)
½lb veal (optional. Use half pork and beef if you can't find ground veal or don't buy veal)
½lb ground pork
1½cups fresh bread crumbs
¼cup fresh parsley, minced
½cup ketchup
¼cup light brown sugar
1½Tbs cider vinegar

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2 In a skillet over moderate heat, add the oil. Heat the oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool. 3 In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, and hot sauce together. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper.In a large mixing bowl, combine the meats, egg-milk mixture, bread crumbs, parsley, and the cooked onion mixture. 4 In a small bowl stir together ketchup, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside. 5 Form 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture into a small patty, add it to a small oiled skillet, and cook until no longer pink. Taste for seasoning and adjust. 6 Transfer meat mixture to an oiled loaf pan.*NOTE: I have, since, discovered that I can mix all the wet ingredients in my Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, then add the meat and cooked onions and garlic. I turn the mixer on LOW for a few minutes-- so much easier and less messier!*NOTE: The best way to make the meatloaf is to use a baking sheet, lined with foil. Place a cooling rack on top. Cut a piece of foil to be larger than a the loaf-- and shape the meat into a loaf. Using a metal skewer, poke holes along the foil...usually every other hole.Place the shaped loaf on top of the foil. I prefer this method, as the loaf is less likely to "steam" in a loaf pan. You can also glaze all around the meatloaf, which is even better!Brush meat with ketchup glaze.Bake in oven for about 45 minutes, until glaze has set. 7 Brush meat loaf with remaining glaze and bake for 15 minutes more; glaze again.My oven takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the desired doneness. Times do vary, so allow for that! 8 Internal temperature of loaf should be 160 degrees F. NOTE: Sometimes, I freeze half of the mixture in a plastic lined loaf pan. Once it's frozen, I remove the loaf and place it in a zip-loc bag, and the loaf is perfectly shaped. When ready to prepare, thaw in the refrigerator, make the glaze and bake as directed.WITH THE OTHER HALF: I shape individual meat loafs, and bake as directed for 20 minutes. This speeds up the time, quite a bit.