Candied Meatloaf

I was never much of a fan of meatloaf, childhood memories of this appearing often pretty much kept me away from it for a good amount of my adult life. Until I discovered this meatloaf that is so flavorful it shows up on our table once in a while. For me anything with ground beef that is the main ingredient, using a quality beef is key. Surprise ingredients of brown sugar and ketchup makes this a winter hit. Like any meatloaf recipe the ingredients can be altered to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1/4-1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 3/4 cup crushed saltines
• garlic to taste

1. Grease 5 x 9 loaf pan.
2. Press brown sugar into bottom of pan, top with ketchup.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl, cover sugar and ketchup with meatloaf
4. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, remove from oven let sit for 10 minutes, slice and serve, use pan drippings as a sauce at the table or spoon over slices.

Since I think it is an unwritten law that you serve mash potatoes with meatloaf just a few quick notes about this yummy side dish.

Peel and wash potatoes, I usually figure about 1.5 potatoes per person as a start. I boil them in water with either a can of chicken broth or a few boullion cubes, sometimes to this I will add garlic, either fresh or from the fridge.

Boil until potatoes will pierce easily with a fork. Drain, return to pan and beat, I use a hand mixer but a potato masher is aok too. I start with at least 3 TBLS of real butter, 1/4 cup of milk and about 1 tsp of salt. I top with a smidge of butter and a sprinkling of dried chives.

Since winter has stuck around this year, way past its welcome this was a warm and comforting meal. The meatloaf will have a wonderful sauce in the bottom of the pan, spoon over the slices. Great recipe even the kids will love, paired with some fresh green beans.