After Mrs. H's (my wife) suggestion, I started this little spot to relate my experiences as an apprentice kitchen wizard. I guess I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Dave, and I am currently a full time househusband. For those who follow my other blog Hillbilly Musings, you already know my children, Spud (3 1/2) and Rorie-Bory (1 1/2, formerly known as Sprout).
Now that we've been introduced, Let's move onto the first recipe and it's result. The inspiration came from a book called Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann along with a substitution or two. The most interesting is going to be the substitution of 2tsp of yeast dissolved in warm water replacing the 2 eggs. This is a recommendation from FAAN the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. If you have a child with food allergies, this is an awesome website and a great network.
Slow Cooked Meatloaf over Potatoes
Ingredients:
5 lb red potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 to 1" cubes
1tbsp virgin olive oil
2lb ground beef
3/4 cup barbecue sauce ( I use Head Country (c) as it is a favorite of Mrs. H.)
1/8 cup of Ken's Steakhouse (c) Lite Northern Italian Dressing
1/3 cup crushed saltine crackers
2tsp yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (sub for 2 eggs)
Topping:
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
2tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Serves 6-8 (I hope)
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/2" to 1" cubes. Pour olive oil into slow cooker and add potatoes. Toss the potatoes to coat with the oil. Mix together ground beef, barbecue sauce, crackers, dressing and yeast mixture. Once it is well mixed, form into a loaf and place on top of potatoes in the cooker. Now mix the remainder barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, oregano, and seasoned salt in a small bowl or large mixing cup. Coat the loaf with the mixture. Set cooker for low heat and allow to cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches around 160 degrees (6-8 hours). Serve with mixed vegetables.
I put all of this together around 1am this morning while waiting for Rorie-Bory to wake up. She has a habit of waking up between 12 and 2am and again between 4 and 6am.
Update: To anyone that tried to cook their meatloaf for more than 8 hours, I'm so sorry. Will have to try this again with less time in the cooker.
A quick way to make seasoned bread crumbs is to run seasoned salad croutons or even seasoned stovetop-style poultry stuffing through the food processor until it is the fineness of your liking. Remember to back off on the added seasonings in your recipe if you do this.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to try this! it sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteNever thought of that one, David. I'll have to try that sometime.
ReplyDeleteI made this in my crock pot yesterday. I added a big handfull (OK, maybe two) of mixed frozen veggies on top of the potatoes and under the loaf. Mine was done on low setting in about 5 hours.
ReplyDeleteI whipped up a packet of brown gravy with mushrooms and added half a can of salsa Mexicana to spoon over the top. A little mixed greens salad, some hearty multigrain bread and this was one delicious meal!