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Loafing Off

Cooking Out, Quick PostKerry Alaric Cheeseborobaby, balsalmic, basil, beef, breadcrumbs, caper, celery salt, cheese, eggs, garlic, grana, ground, guanciale, honey, Italian, jowl, meat, meatloaf, minced, mushroom, mushrooms, oregano, paste, pepper, peppercorn, peppercorns, pork, Portobello, ricotta, rolled, sauce, shredded, sirloin, skin, spread, stuffed, tomato, veal, vinegarComment
Stuffed Italian Meatloaf | Ricotta Smashed Potatoes

I WAS SOMEHOW STUCK IN a debate about meatballs. Two friends were arguing about who had the better ones, Swedes or Italians. My non-Italian friend believed that the Italians invented meatloaf, and that that's were meatballs came from. The meatloaf, I told them both, were first made by Germans and Belgians, then were quickly popularized through Europe.

This then forced me to explain that the meatloaf, the classic American comfort staple, has no real roots or history in Italian cuisine, much to the surprise and chagrin to my friend. But it also got me thinking about how I would make a meatloaf "Italian".

So after a quick early morning trip to Fairway, I got home and set out on this little cooking adventure. I started with a fresh meat blend of ground sirloin, veal, and pork, and added to it salt, fresh cracked pepper, minced garlic, oregano, worcestershire sauce, chopped baby portobello mushrooms, and a little bit of cabernet. I then prepped three "fillings": one, a red sauce of tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, honey, and paprika; the second, a mixture of ricotta cheese, grana cheese, and salt; and a third of puréed fresh basil leaves, capers, olive oil, salt, and black peppercorns.

I flattened out the meat mixture, the with a large spoon, layered the three sauces (of red, white, and green, the Italian flag colors!), over the meat. Then I rolled one side into the other and carefully placed into a meatloaf/bread pan. I then layered slices of guanciale (pork jowl) on top, and brushed the top with the remaining red sauce. That went into an 350° over for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, the remaining ricotta mixture—with extra fresh ricotta—got "smashed" into some boiled potatoes, with extra salt, olive oil, white pepper, and butter.

An hour later, after letting it sit for a spell, I treated myself to a meatloaf layered into tastes, textures, aromas, and depth, flavorful meats of various fattiness absorbing the aromatics of the ingredients inside it, served with a sturdy yet light side of potatoes for the bold notes of the tomato, vinegar, basil, and capers to stand on.

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

Ricotta Smashed Potatoes

A success all around, with plenty left over (!!) to get me through the week. Which should give me plenty of brain fuel and time to figure out how I'm going to make a Swedish meatloaf.

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf | Ricotta Smashed Potatoes