The Father Loaf Recipe

If you're going to have the Mother Loaf, you've got to have the The Father Loaf.  So what makesthis meatloaf different from its better half?  You'll see.  We've added some barbecue sauce, a different herb blend, and topped it with Cheesy Taters.  Here's to dads everywhere!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry white bread crumbs
1 cup 100% whole grain rolled oats
2/3 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp + 2 tspn Worchestire sauce
2 tspn traditional barbecue sauce
2 tspn minced garlic
2 tspn minced fresh chives
1 tspn dried Herbes de Provence
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn fine sea salt
1 tspn black pepper
1 pound(450 g) ground chuck beef
1 pound(450 g) ground pork
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2/3 cup finely chopped curly parsely
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
canola or vegetable spray, for greasing
1 batch of Cheesy Taters

For the Glaze and Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup traditional barbecue sauce
granulated sugar, to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the bread crumbs, oats, and milk in a bowl and let soften.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauces, garlic, chives, Herbes de Provence, paprika, salt, and pepper.  In a large bowl, combine the ground meats, onion, celery, bell pepper, and parsley.  Add the eggs, the ketchup mixture, and the softened bread crumb/oats mixture, and then mix well with your hands.
4. Cover a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray  with canola or vegetable oil.  Using your hands, form the meatloaf mixture into a generous log on the prepared pan and smooth the surface, or create your own shape - Dad may even want to fashion it into a football to accompany one of those big games!  Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes.
5. While the meatloaf is baking, begin preparing the Cheesy Taters.  Also stir together the ingredients for the glaze and dipping sauce.
6. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and brush the top with some of the glaze mixture.  Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit but note that the total cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your particular creation.
7. Top with hot Cheesy Taters and enjoy with the remaining glaze mixture as a dipping sauce. 

Recipe courtesy of The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook - Comfort Food with a Twist by Cynthia Kallile

United States Chicago  [ print this recipe for The Father Loaf ]