Last night we had this classic meatloaf for dinner!  Who doesn’t like meatloaf?  I have been using this basic recipe for many, many years and it is my favorite.  The ingredients are always on hand, it goes together quickly, and tastes really good, too.

 

   The boys always request ‘smashed taters’ with the meat loaf.  Before we moved to Kentucky, I had never heard of ‘smashed taters’.  We ate at a local restaurant and ‘smashed taters’ was on the menu.  When I saw this, I thought it was a great idea.  After all, the potato skins have a lot of nutrients in them, right?   I also like the rustic look of the additional color of the skins combined with the yellow color of the Yukon gold potatoes.  It is also a lot less work than peeling all the potatoes to prepare mashed potatoes.

 

   The potatoes are just cleaned and cut into three-quarter-inch slices, placed in a saucepan, covered with cold water, some salt added, and brought to a boil.  To keep the potatoes from boiling over, I always add a little bit of olive oil.  Cover with a lid and turn the heat down to low.  Simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

 

   Drain the water from the potatoes.  Add butter and a little bit of milk, half and half, or cream to the bottom of the pan.  Since it should still be hot, it will warm the butter and the milk.  At this point, I put the lid back on the pan for a minute or two. Then smash the potatoes and the butter together with a big fork.  Season with salt and pepper.  That is about how easy it is!

 

  My mother always made meatloaf and poured ketchup right out of the bottle, on the top.  That was not really very appealing to me.  Eating the leftovers the next day, that ketchup even seemed worse.  I would scrape off the ketchup.   For years, I left the top of my meatloaf bare.  Then I found a recipe that added mustard and brown sugar to the ketchup.  I tried this and it does make a nice topping.  Since then, I have continued to add this to the topping for the meatloaf.

 

   A note on the mustard, my favorite is Grey Poupon French Country Dijon.  That is what is added to this recipe.  Sometimes we have a different brand, but I like the coarse-grained brown over the regular yellow mustard.  Maybe it’s because they use white wine in the mustard recipe…

 

   Although this recipe calls for fresh bread crumbs, sometimes I substitute oatmeal. It works perfectly fine, too.

 

   By baking this on a heavy half sheet pan, it bakes evenly, and the sides brown nicely.  Be sure to let the loaf rest for a few minutes before cutting to serve.

 

   Meatloaf is so good served with a fresh salad, smashed taters, or mashed potatoes, and one of my favorite vegetables buttered broccoli.  Isn’t that just one of the classic ‘comfort meals’?

 

   The next time you want a classic meatloaf for dinner, maybe you should try this recipe for meatloaf and do try the topping! ►Meatloaf.