I've been wanting to resurrect my Foodie Fridays for ages now, but through the summer and early fall, one thing and another has gotten in the way. Well, no longer! And today I'm bringing you a mash-up of two great comfort foods. Meatloaf and a cheeseburger!
But first, I need to tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there was a wee hobbit who didn't like bacon. The smell, the mess, the taste. Nothing about bacon appealed to her. She would avoid being home when bacon was being cooked. She would get upset if someone mistakenly brought her a sandwich with bacon on it. As she grew up, she grew to be able to accept bacon in certain foods. In perogies? Ok. Crumbled on top of a loaded baked potato? I guess so. Fake-o bacon bits on a salad? If I must. But then, late in her 37th year, suddenly someone turned on the bacon switch in her brain. All of a sudden, bacon didn't seem like such a bad thing. The salty, crispy goodness began to call to her... mock her... laugh at her for all the years that she avoided contact. She was still picky about it. It must be good quality bacon. It must be cooked crispy. And it will likely never be eaten with breakfast. But bacon had wormed its way into her heart, and there was no looking back. And the not-so-wee hobbit and bacon lived happily ever after.
Why did I tell you this story? Because THIS RECIPE WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER WITH BACON! When I first made it, I didn't even consider adding bacon to it, but I'm telling you now... make it with bacon, top it with bacon. Bacon, bacon, bacon!
Cheeseburger Meatloaft
1.5lb lean ground beef (or your ground meat of choice)
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/3 cup ketchup, chili sauce, or steak sauce
1/4 cup mustard
1 egg
1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp grill seasoning (like Montreal steak spice)
1 1/2 cups diced dill pickles, divided
1-2 diced tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk (don't use skim)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 tbsp mustard
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, soup mix, ketchup, mustard, egg, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, and 1/2 cup of the diced dill pickles. Get in there and use your hands (just remember to remove your rings). Once the mix is thoroughly combined, form it into a loaf shape shape and place on a well greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that you have gotten to at least 160 in the center. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting. While the meatloaf is baking, melt butter in a medium sized skillet. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Allow the flour to cook out for a minute or two. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly as it thickens. Once it's thickened, you can always add a touch more milk to thin it if needed. Melt in cheese and stir in the mustard.
Slice up the meatloaf (as best you can. Somtimes it can be uncooperative like in the picture below) and top with cheese sauce, pickles and tomatoes. Serve with mashed taters (with horseradish and sour cream if you're adventurous) and steamed veggies.
If you try it, please let me know what you think. Oh, and MAKE SURE TO TOP IT WITH SOME CRISPY BACON BITS!
I love bacon, and like you. It must be crispy. Yummy! Glad Foodie Fridays are back :)
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious! My husband doesn't usually like when I tweak the meatloaf but I bet he'd like this one.
ReplyDeleteAnd bacon makes everything better! (Except gumballs, last week my co-worker brought in bacon gumballs, they tasted just as nast as you might expect!)