Mrs Kostyra’s Meatloaf

Serves: 8

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart.

It is written up across the Internet as the 101 of meatloaf and as a closet lover of meatloaf, getting the 101 right is pretty important, right?

(Albeit pretty simple to get right as you’ll soon discover.)

The vegetables fill it out really nicely, the glaze of ketchup, dry mustard and brown sugar is predictably awesome… though far-and-ahead the best reason you’d cook this – as if it wasn’t obvious – is because it’s mince.

The world’s greatest invention.

I doubled the recipe and froze a big zip-lock bag ready to cook again for a week of lunches and snacks. Undoubtedly, it is what I looked for first in my lunchbox each morning.

It is a simple recipe though that is all you want here. Simple, wholesome, amazing, no-nonsense, eat-it-everyday meatloaf, ready to be served warm or cold with plenty of ketchup, peas and hopefully, some good potato mash.

Ingredients

Olive oil
4 slices white bread, torn into pieces and processed to breadcrumbs
1.5kg ground beef
1 onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 stalks celery, small dice
2 carrots, peeled and small dice
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large egg
1 cup ketchup, divided
3 tsp dry mustard, divided
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180c. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the finely diced onion, celery, carrots and crushed garlic and parsley in a bowl. Add the meat and mix well. Add the egg, ½ cup ketchup, 2 tsp dry mustard, salt and pepper and combine thoroughly. Transfer to the baking tray and shape into a… meatloaf.
3. Combine the remaining ½ cup ketchup, 1 tsp dry mustard and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir until smooth.
4. Brush/baste the mixture over the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf in the oven and look for between 60 and 90 minutes or until the meat thermometer inserted in the middle reads 70c.
5. Serve with peas, mash, plenty of ketchup and cold beer.