Meatloaf

This is a 'feed a crowd' dish. And there's not too much effort involved. The oven does most of the work for you. 

I think you could make this meatloaf after work and have on the table in an hour. Or make it the night before and heat slowly in the oven the next night. Or make a double batch and freeze one uncooked meatloaf for cooking later. 

In our house it is definitely a crowd pleaser, for the young and the not-so-young.

I served the meatloaf with warmed sauerkraut. If you don't like sauerkraut, a simple mashed potato compliments the meatloaf just as well.

What you'll need

Serves 6

600g good quality mince, I used a mixture of pork and beef mince

1 medium onion, peeled and finely grated

1 medium carrot, finely grated

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cups dried breadcrumbs

2 good pinches of salt

1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano

Approximately 20 long slices of lean bacon ( or 40 short pieces)

Serve with warm sauerkraut, a garden salad and a cold beer.

What to do

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Grease a loaf tin (approx 25cm x 10cm) and line it with baking paper. Now line the tin the the bacon slices. Take a slice of bacon and starting at one end of the tin, lay the bacon slice across the bottom of the tin, smooth up each side and let the rest of the bacon hang over each side of the tin. Continue this pattern, overlapping the bacon slices, until the entire bottom of the tin is covered and the bacon is overhanging down the sides of the tin.

Place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix very well together with your hands or a large spoon until all ingredients are combined. The mixture should not be dripping wet or dry and crumbly. The right texture is sticky. This will ensure that your meatloaf does not fall apart when you slice it.

Tip the meat mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth the top with a spoon. Now take the overhanging bacon slices and wrap them over the top of the meatloaf, so that the entire loaf is now covered with the bacon. Give the loaf a pat with your hands to ensure that the meat mixture is stuck nicely to the bacon.

Place into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. Check it is cooked by piercing the middle of the meatloaf with a small loaf. The juices that run out should be clear, not pink.  

Rest for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out very carefully into a serving dish. Slice thickly with a sharp knife while still warm.