Labor Day Meatloaf

Jason and I spent the weekend celebrating our first anniversary in Charlottesville, Virginia. We ate a lot of good food, drank some champagne, and generally enjoyed the last unofficial weekend of summer together.  I came home yesterday afternoon with good intentions: I’d cap off our anniversary/Labor Day weekend with one of Jason’s favorite meals—meatloaf.

Meatloaf is a strange thing when you think about it. In some ways it’s like a giant burger— ground meat gussied up with seasonings and often topped with ketchup. But why would anyone want to bake ground meat in loaf form when they could just as easily grill it up and eat it on a bun? It wasn’t until a few years ago (when Jason and I were in the early phases of our courtship and I was looking for “manly” recipes that I thought he might particularly enjoy) that I decided to give meatloaf another shot.

I initially had my eyes on a recipe made with roasted vegetables, but ultimately opted for a slightly less complicated recipe that uses sautéed onions and peppers along with fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan cheese to give the dish an Italian flair.  It was a big hit with Jason (he asked me to make it for his birthday a few years ago) and even I had to admit meatloaf, in this form at least, wasn’t half bad.

While I had planned to make this meatloaf yesterday as a riff on the typical Labor Day cookout, once home I got sidetracked by life and we ended up having breakfast for dinner instead.  Better late than never, I guess.

Meatloaf
Adapted from Michael Chiarello

Ingredients:
½ large Vidalia onion, small diced
½ red or yellow red pepper, small diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBL olive oil
1-1.25 pounds of ground beef (skip the super lean stuff—you need some fat to keep it moist. I never go below 90/10)
1 TBL chopped parsley
2 TBL chopped basil
1 TBL Worcestshire Sauce
2 TBL balsamic vinegar, divided
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and Pepper
½ cup ketchup
1 TBL brown sugar
1 shot hot sauce (optional)

1.Saute onions, garlic, and peppers in 1 TBL olive oil until just soft. Remove to a large bowl and let cool.
2.Add beef, herbs, Worceshire, 1 TBL of balsamic vinegar, cheese, breadcrumbs, and eggs. Mix (easiest to use your hands!) until well combined.
3.Preheat oven to 350. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Shape meat mixture into a loaf shape on the center of the pan, trying to get it as even as possible.
4.Mix ketchup, brown sugar, remaining TBL of balsamic, and hot sauce (if using) until smooth. Pour evenly over the top of the meatloaf.
5.Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until the center reaches 160 degrees on a instant thermometer. Spoon excess fat away from the sides of the cooked meatloaf and discard. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice and serve