Turkey Meatloaf

Yum.

What do you eat on a chilly lazy Sunday with your closest friends other than cookies?

How about an all-American favorite?

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  I knew the perfect recipe too.  The Barefoot Contessa's.  She does comfort food right.  This turkey meatloaf is no exception.

Just so you know, the original recipe called for 5 pounds of ground turkey.  That's just crazy.  There were only three of us- G, Lena and I- no need for 5 pounds of anything.

If  you're cooking for a crowd, go ahead and use the full recipe.  Or do what I did and cut it down.  No need for the ratios to be perfect- this is meatloaf not souffle.  

First sweat some chopped onion.  This was one large onion, which was way too much.  1/2 would have been fine.  I just scooped some of it out before proceeding.

Fresh thyme from the herb garden: 

What a lovely hand model Lena is, don't you think?

About a tablespoon of tomato paste:

A splash of Worchestershire sauce:

And a splash of stock.  Mix that up and let it cool.

Lena took some initiative (she's such a go-getter) and cracked the egg into the bowl.

We used about a pound of ground turkey.  Then add about a quarter cup of bread crumbs.  Also, don't forget salt and pepper.

The cooled onion mixture:

And get mixing: 

If it's too wet, you might want to add some more bread crumbs. 

Form into a loaf:

And bake at 325˚ until it registers 160˚ on a thermometer.  It took about an hour.

Next up, potatoes and green beans.

Cut up your potatoes (we leave the skins on) and cover them with cold water.  Bring that up to a boil, then add your green beans.  The green beans blanch on top as the potatoes cook.  Very efficient.

Take out the green beans with tongs when they're crisp but tender.  Then let the potatoes finish cooking.  When a paring knife goes into one easily, you know you're good.  Drain them, add them back to the hot pot, and get mashing:

We added sour cream and cheese to our mash.

Now, we made use of that extra sautéed onion and used it for the beans.  I added a clove of garlic through the press:

And added the beans back:

What a perfectly balanced meal.

We'll have to do that again sometime.

Ina Garten's Turkey Meatloaf
(Feel free to follow the measurements above to make a 1 lb loaf)

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large onions)
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
• 3 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.


There you go.
Enjoy.

Playing,
Meredith