Comfort Food: Meatloaf, Creamed Spinach and Red Skinned Mash Potatoes

First of all I must apologize that I don't have a picture. I did take one but accidentally deleted them. Very intelligent I know. But I suppose you know what meatloaf looks like! Anyways, I was feeling the cold yesterday and thought some nice comfort food might hit the spot. So here goes...

Deborah's Eclectic Meatloaf
I call it this, because I have never in my life used a recipe for meatloaf, I just sort of came up with this adding a bit of everything and it worked and it's really moist and yummy!

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 1 granny smith apple, grated
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• 1 cup white breadcrumbs
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 4-5 sprigs of thyme, stripped and chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• plenty freshly milled black pepper
• 1 stock cube, crumbled (you could also use a sachet of onion soup)
  
• sea salt to season
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, except for ketchup and chili sauce. Don't over mix or the loaf will be tough. If it is too wet, you can add more breadcrumbs. Mix the ketchup and sweet chili sauce. Put meat mixture in a loaf pan, greased if not non-stick and pour ketchup mixture on top. Bake at 200C/400F for one hour. If you need to cook it quicker, make mini-loafs or use a muffin tin, this should cut cooking by about half an hour. To serve just slice and plate. This is really good as sandwiches the next day! You can also use this mixture to make delicious meatballs. Just form into balls, fry lightly to brown and either stew in the sauce you are serving them with or bake in the oven until done.

Garlicky Creamed Spinach
Let me start by saying I hate spinach, so do my kids. My husband likes it, but we all LOVE this recipe. It's so incredibly good you don't even KNOW it's spinach you are eating. A great way to get this iron-rich vegetable into the kids!

• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Butter
  
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 pkg Boursin cheese (I've used garlic and herb Philadelphia in a pinch)
• 1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed (You could wilt then use fresh spinach too)
  
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (don't use the boxed stuff)
• 1 tsp chopped lemon zest
• Grating whole nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• sea salt, to taste
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

Basically you are going to make a bechamel sauce. Saute the garlic very gently (don't want it to burn) in the butter. Add the flour and stir for a minute or two, it will be thick roux. When lightly golden, gradually whisk in the milk and cream. Pour slowly whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. The sauce should be nice and thick. (At this point you have a very basic bechamel sauce with garlic, you could use this in pasta dishes or with fish as is) Mix in the cream cheese/Boursin until it melts and is incorporated. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Mix in Parmesan cheese until in melts. Stir in spinach and lemon zest and put mixture in an oven-proof but decorative bowl. Top with the breadcrumbs. Put this in the oven half way through the meatloafs cooking time. So half an hour at 200C/400F. Serve in the oven dish and scoop onto plates. MMMMM!


Heart-attack red-skinned mash!
I always get the best compliments on my mashed potatoes. I make a variety of different kinds and have never had a complaint, even here in Ireland where potatoes are usually kept very plain and mashed potatoes tend to be sort of solid. Yuck! So these are some creamy delicious and exceptionally unhealthy mashed potatoes.

• 2 lbs scrubbed red skinned potatoes, like rooster, do not peel!
• salt
• 1/2 pound butter
• 1 cup cream, warm
• white pepper
• garlic powder

Bring potatoes to a boil in large pan of salted water. When done add warm cream and butter and mash! The skins will separate and it will look really nice and rustic. Season to your taste. Omit the garlic if you prefer plain. You could add chopped chives or parsley for more colour. Enjoy!



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