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sunday.meat.loaf.
Nothing quite screams Sunday dinner after Church in below freezing temps like a roast, meatloaf, or chili. Today was one of those days.
By in large, we tend to stick to lean cuts of meat and usually have red meat no more than 1x per week or even less. But when we do, we try to go for the best. Our local market sells Schweid & Sons Prime Beef, actually geared towards burgers, but with its mix of Prime Chuck & Brisket, makes for a tremendous loaf.
A 2 lb helping of their beef set the stage for a simple meatloaf in the vein of a roast, with russets, carrots, and sweet onions in a beef broth with red wine reduction (just a 1/4 cup or so), and lots of spices, and even Daddy’s little helper.
I know that some people wouldn’t consider a loaf of ground beef a true meatloaf. Eggs, breadcrumbs, fillings, onions, mixed in spices, etc. all come to mind. That’s all fine and good. But Tom was raised with a simpler meatloaf – one that is literally just a loaf of meat, no fillers, additives, or anything fancy. Tom, being the fancy guy that he is, embellishes with browning the meat & onions, lots of spice on the meat to form a great crust, and then braising in his beloved Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but still honors his childhood with top notch beef, molded with nothing else.
I know, I know, that may sound boring. But done right, turns into a little bit of magic, with the simplicity of a quality burger, but the elevated flavors of an all-day roast. But don’t trust me – try it for yourself.
- 2 Lbs Prime Beef (or best quality you can afford or obtain) – we used Schweid & Sons Prime Chuck & Brisket
- 4 lbs Russet potatoes (lessen for a smaller vessel) – partially peeled & chopped
- 2 lbs Carrots – diced on the round edge
- Roughly 4 or 5 medium Sweet Onions – large chop (quartered)
- 2 cups Beef Broth – we used Swanson
- 1/4 cup red wine – whatever you’re drinking
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Cayenne, White Pepper, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary – no exact measurements here, just coat the meat generously and watch the magic happen
- Preheat the oven to 325 – We use the Convention Roast setting on our oven, but normal bake is fine
- Shape the meat. Don’t add any spices while shaping, just on the top.
- Coat generously with the spices above, or add or subtract to your own preference. This is meatloaf. It’s not Filet.
- Do some stretching, then break out your trusty heavy large pot – Tom’s is a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven – enameled cast iron in blue – and it is HEAVY.
- Preheat a generous amount of olive oil on medium-high heat, then place the meatloaf spice side down for a few minutes. Once you have a nice brown crust forms, use tongs to flip the loaf carefully, and brown on the back and each side for another few moments.
- Toss in the onions after the first side of the meat so they brown and add some caramelization to the pan sauce you’ve got going and to, well, themselves.
- Remove the loaf and onions, deglaze (fancy word for pour into something hot) the pan with the red wine, and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
- Let the alcohol cook off for a moment or two, then add the potatoes, carrots, beef broth, and place the loaf & onions on top. My goal is to have enough liquid to mostly cover the potatoes and carrots, but to leave the meat and onions mostly exposed.
- Cook in the preheated oven for about an hour to an hour & a half depending on the size of your loaf and preferred doneness. Use a meat thermometer to ensure it is done to your preference.
- Sit back and enjoy! Let us know if you like this simple, flavor forward version of an American classic.
- Bon Appetit!
-jess
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stuffed.pepper.bake.
Simple weeknight dinner for those cold, snowy nights in early January for you all tonight.
So stuffed peppers are a common dinner in our area. Meat, rice, cheese, sauce, stuffed in a bell pepper and baked until done. Pretty simple. But kids don’t always like the look of big green bell peppers coming at them. So we try to spice things up, and tonight, went for a bit of a deconstructed stuffed pepper bake, and it was a hit!
Basics:
- 5 green bell peppers
- 1 lb. organic grass fed beef
- 2 bags of microwave ready jasmine rice
- 1 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes (if not avail – petite diced Hunts will also do)
- 2 medium sweet onions
- 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Spices
- salt. black pepper. white pepper. garlic.
- paprika. cayenne.
So we have fun just kind of cooking by instinct – i.e. with no set plan or recipe. So we took a traditional stuffed pepper and deconstructed it to make it more appealing to the kids.
Chop the peppers & onions. Saute on medium high with lid cracked to also steam them (to soften). Remove lid after soft to create some browning. Scoop from pan, and then brown the meat. Drain. Add butter, peppers, onions, rice, and stir. If pan gets too dry, add a little more olive oil.
After a few moments, add the meat, crushed tomatoes, spices, and mix. Remove from heat, sprinkle with an even layer of shredded parmesan cheese, and bake in 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes, more for extra crispy rice and less for a “wetter” dinner.
If you’re like us, you can also set the oven to the warm setting after about 20-25 minutes and just let it hang for a bit while we’re having fun with the kids.
We served the meal with some buttered toast and a Caesar salad kit salad with Olive Garden dressing. Easy.
Probably about 10-15 minutes of active cooking, and the rest just letting it bake and hang.
We do meals like this quite a bit, so I’ll try my best to post when we come across an experiment gone right, especially if it’s an easy one to put together.
jess.
