If you could fix anything, why not start by fixing dinner?

I am a Johnny Depp fan. And a favorite line of Roux’s — played by Johnny in the movie “Chocolat,” is, “Very good but it’s not my favorite,” when Vianne, played by Julienne Binoche, asked her new love to taste several different handmade chocolates. And that might be where meatloaf sits on the list of favorite American dinners. It’s not too awfully far from the top but it isn’t exactly the top-ranked favorite. Iconic home-cooked meals from the USA include pot roast, brisket, chicken noodle soup, steak, fried chicken, chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, spaghetti, chili, pancakes, eggs, and, of course, meatloaf. (The very high-end favorites are more fast foods like burgers, tacos, fries, pizza, etc., though we do make those at home, too.) Now, I think meatloaf sometimes has a bad rap because someone’s mom didn’t know how to make it or baked it dry (cue the ketchup bottle), and so these days just the word, “meatloaf, ” elicits a sneery eyeball roll or nose scrunch from more than a few. I’m here today to again take up meatloaf’s cause, because if you’ve eaten my meatloaf, you didn’t walk away sniggering and you for sure didn’t get out the ketchup bottle on my dime. (I hope.) And when you make my newest version, SWEET BBQ BACON-TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH CHEDDAR, you might very well dance away smiling and singing. Meatloaf, then, could rise to the head of the class on your list of homey dinners, too! As long as you don’t overcook it, that is. I’ve warned you.

Longtime subscribers or readers will perhaps recall another meatloaf or two on the blog –scroll down for examples–and this one is similar but not a carbon copy. Like any home cook, I’m always looking to switch things up (“play around” as one of my favorite cookbook authors, Dorie Greenspan, says). And when it was time to make meatloaf last week, I had to have a new plan. The raison d’être for my blog isn’t to blow you away with incredible, supersonic, brand new, wowing dishes, but rather to just show you what’s happening in my kitchen in a given week. Encouraging you to cook at home, to ride along with me through the seasons, and to bring people together around any table you have. Or without a table, if that’s your thing. Because we are meant to be together. Because health comes from the kitchen; smiles come at the table. Because to eat well is a gift, a memory, an art, a heritage, and a song. Or, for today, “Home is where the meatloaf is.”

Now meatloaf requires no special culinary knowledge to make and its rules are few, easy to remember, and can be applied to preparing many dishes:

• Buy high-quality ingredients.
• Season well and generously.
• Be gentle in your mixing (lest it get tough).
• Be conservative in your baking time (lest it be dry).
• Remember to have a meatloaf sandwich (with mayo).

PHOTOS: I tested this recipe with larger amounts of meat and a ceramic loaf pan as well as with a lesser amount of meat and an old aluminum loaf pan (both 9″x5″), which is why you’ll see different photos. Both results were delectable and, reading notes and CHANGE IT UP (see below recipe), you can choose your size and method. Basically, the 3# loaf oozed out cheese and fat but some folks like that and would also rather have more meat. A 2# loaf is standard, less expensive, gives 6+ servings (depending on thickness of slice), and so the recipe is written to reflect that.

GETTING THE MEATLOAF ONTO A PLATTER RIGHT-SIDE UP: Wait at least 10 minutes after removing pan from oven. Pour out excess liquid before beginning, if needed. Place a plate over the baking pan (use mitts if needed) and, holding them both at the center, carefully turn them over so the loaf comes out onto the plate, banging it a bit gently if needed. If by chance a little of the meat has stuck in the pan, remove it and add it to the loaf. The loaf is now right side down on the plate. Put a serving platter over the top again (which is now the bottom of the loaf) and flip it once more so that the bacon-side (right side) is now up. I’m sure there are better words for this but I can’t find them.

INGREDIENTS: They matter.

Choosing ground turkey: Skip the plastic tubes (lots of water there and if you can’t see the meat…???) and don’t buy anything that looks like, well, mush. God knows what’s in that meat but you and I needn’t find out. Spend a little more and buy probably organic turkey that looks exactly like ground meat. Strings of meat instead of paste, as it were. If buying at COSTCO, the organic ground turkey comes in a 3# pack, 93/7 ($19.99), 1.5 pounds in each container, so you’ll have 1# leftover after making this meatloaf. Cook some burgers and freeze them for lunch.

That’s pretty cheesy: You can use any variety of extra-sharp Cheddar cheese you like. The best Cheddars are white, not yellow–so start there. Some comes already sliced in plastic packages and that’s easy but you’re more likely to find sharp Cheddar instead of extra-sharp. The preferable cheese–and it’s definitely available as extra-sharp– is in a larger wax or cloth-wrapped package that you’ll need to slice yourself. It’s worth keeping in the house at all times for anytime you need cheese and crackers (a meal in a pinch), a grilled cheese, cheese for a sandwich, or cheese on a salad, soup, or eggs. I’m fond of Tillamook (my first choice), Cabot, and Kerrygold but you choose your favorite. The Brits make incredible Cheddar–some right in Cheddar, which is in the county of Somerset in England, though it’s not always readily available in our groceries. By the way, Tillamook Maker’s Reserve 2024 Extra Sharp White Cheddar was named best cheddar at the 2024 World Cheese Awards. Hello, USA!!!

Change it up: Want a bigger loaf? I inadvertently tried this recipe using 3# ground turkey (all other ingredients exactly the same) and, while the cheese did bubble out a bit more than I’d like, the larger loaf baked fine in an Emile Henry ceramic loaf pan. It’s a mystery but go ahead, knowing you might have a wee mess of crispy cheese that will be tasty to clean up. Want a chicken meatloaf? I didn’t test this particular recipe with ground chicken but I have made my Chicken Meatloaf Marinara many times with great success. (See below for photo and link.) I’ve a good idea, as the recipes are really similar, that it would work. No pork bacon? As I said in the recipe, you can leave the bacon out and simply brush the top of the loaf with a little olive oil before baking. You could also buy nitrate-free pork bacon. That said, you could try turkey bacon, too, if that’s your wont. (BTW: “Your wont” is a decidedly old-fashioned and underused expression but I still claim it from time to time. It comes from spending your childhood with your head in a book, I think.)

Sides: Folks like mashed potatoes and meatloaf, hands down. Homey, reliable, and tasty. For this particular loaf, you might consider a perky sweet potato mash–include a little cayenne, cumin or chili powder, and cinnamon along with butter, salt, and pepper. Check FN for their ideas here. I also like something simpler–a green salad, roasted potatoes, and baguette. For this meatloaf, I was running out of time and cut up some baby new potatoes, carrots, and red onions for the air fryer. Tossed with a little olive oil, a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and thyme, they were done in 10 minutes (stir a time or two) at 360F. I did preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes and spray it with cooking spray. The air fryer is a savior and fun, to boot. Don’t be afraid to buy one but also, don’t get a really small one. Buy at least a 6qt model. I’ve just now bought an air fryer book and have until now relied on the booklet that came with my air fryer or online resources such as THE SPRUCE EATS.

My favorite mashed potato casserole is Melissa Clark’s. You could have figured.

IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Chicken Meatloaf Marinara

Grilled Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Cilantro Coleslaw….

Chicken Cheeseburger Salad

Green Chile-Chicken Cheeseburgers

LIFE GOES ON:

If you’re hosting or cooking for Thanksgiving, it’s time to give it a few thoughts. Do some initial planning and shopping right after Halloween and… Get started here.

This sad sack bear trundled by our house on Monday. I hope he gets enough to eat to hibernate soon, but maybe not as our bears seem to wait until after Thanksgiving.

Last week, we had had the interior of the top floor of our house painted. We were in the basement for 4 days. Geez. It seemed like two weeks. I’m using it as an opportunity to go through stacks of music, magazines, etc., and get rid of a bunch of things. We’re also leaving our artwork down for a while and thinking hard about what goes back up and where. Good times.

This guy is hanging around a lot. Eating a bunch. Stopping what little traffic he can. Chasing the girls.

Loved the No Kings across the country and praying for a change,

Alyce