The Bride and Groom’s First Cookbook, page 144-5.

Fail-Safe Meat Loaf

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes

Do ahead: You can assemble the entire meat loaf a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate in the roasting pan. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound of mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cup tomato puree
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated white horseradish
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 small bay leaves
3 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons brandy


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in the sauté pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about two minutes. Put the onion an garlic in the mixing bowl. Sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned, about three minutes. Add one third of the mushrooms to the mixing bowl. Add the tomato puree, mustard, horseradish, bread crumbs, egg, meat, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Form the meat mixture into a loaf about 4x9 inches. Put the loaf into the roasting pan and place the bay leaves along the top of the meat loaf. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The center should be slightly pink.

While the meat loaf is baking, melt the butter in the saute pan. Add the brandy and simmer for one minute. Return the remaining mushrooms to the pan and toss with the sauce. Reserve for garnish.


Service: Cut the meat loaf into one-inch-thick slices. Serve two slices per person, garnished with the sautéed mushrooms. Mashed potatoes, rice or buttery noodles are all satisfying starches that complement the meat loaf.


(My friend sent me this & it was SO good! I used more garlic and just added it in fresh to the meat. I only had seasoned breadcrumbs and they were good. I also used some left over tomato sauce instead of a puree. I made this in a muffin tin. Then, I cut them in half and added the sauteed mushroom sauce over it. Oh, I have no brandy, so I used a little cooking sherry & it was yummy!! It cooked quickly too! Sydney gobbled this up!!)