My mother's meatloaf, hands down, is always my favorite. She does a classic meatloaf, drizzled with ketchup and draped with bacon. Are you having a heart attack? Me, too! Around here, the bacon is saved for special occasions. I make meatloaf at least twice a month, and that is too often to use full-on beef and bacon, for health-related reasons. So, I use turkey. But anyone who uses turkey for meatloaf knows that the biggest pitfall is dryness. Turkey's leanness robs the meatloaf of flavor and moisture. I've made meatloaf a bunch of times, each time learning from my mistakes, getting closer and closer to a yummy, moist meatloaf. The last time I made meatloaf, I hit the jackpot and that's the recipe I'm sharing here.
The first lesson I learned was that vegetables are the key. Do you know what a mirepoix is? It's just celery, carrots and onions sauteed together in oil. Really, go ahead and use a fancy french word to describe some of the most basic vegetables that make up the foundation of pretty much every comfort meal you can think of. Vegetables, being mostly water anyway, help keep lean meat moist, especially meat that is being slow-cooked (remember this the next time you throw a pot roast into your crockpot!). A note: I don't always use the trifecta... sometimes, I use vegetables that need to be used up. Pretty much any vegetable that is mostly water will work here.
So, vegetables. Check. But still... vegetables alone don't keep it moist. One day, I happened to spy on my (now-defunct) twitterstream, a tweet about putting a pan of water in the oven while the meatloaf cooks. I have to thank StickGooeyChef for this tip that I'm sure everyone and their grandma already knew. I put the pan of water on the bottom rack, while the oven was preheating, so it was nice and steamy in there by the time I was ready to put the meatloaf in.
A second meatloaf trick I used, I also learned from a twitter contact. Jessica Gottlieb uses oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs in her meatloaf. Don't ask me why, though. I asked her but I don't remember the reason. All I know is that it is a vast improvement over breadcrumbs.
Remember the bacon I mentioned earlier? I didn't have bacon around when I made this meatloaf but I did have a zuchini that needed to be used before going to rot. In a moment of inspiration, I broke out my mandoline (which I bought for 5 bucks at an OXO fire sale!) and made long, superthin slices of the zucchini. I draped it over the meatloaf, and it was a nice touch, if I do say so myself! It got nice and sweet in the oven, and took the flavor of the meatloaf to a whole new level.
Tried and True Turkey Meatloaf
One package of ground turkey, either the regular size or the family pack, depending on how many you're feeding
2 carrots, washed and cut into small dice
2 celery hearts, washed and cut into small dice
1 small onion, cut into small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 egg
About 1/3 c of rolled oats (a little less for the regular pack, a little more for the family pack)
Milk
Salt&pepper
Ketchup (optional)
Olive oil, just enough to cover bottom of saute pan
0. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack.
1. In a saute pan, heat the oil, then add all vegetables except garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until vegetables are soft and slightly caramelized.
2. While vegetables are cooking, put rolled oats into a small bowl with milk, just enough to cover the oats. (We don't drink milk, so I use almond milk or rice milk, whatever is on hand.) Soak oats for at least 5 minutes.
3. When vegetables are soft, add garlic and stir. Cook until garlic is fragrant, then add in tomato paste. Stir to combine and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Take vegetable mixture off the heat and let sit until cool to the touch.
5. In a little bowl, beat the egg. In a big bowl, combine the beaten egg with the ground meat, the veggies and the oatmeal that has been soaking (squeeze out the excess milk--I just scoop the oatmeal out of the bowl and squeeze the liquid through my fingers.) Mix with a wooden spoon or use your fingers but don't mix too much--just enough to combine everything.
6. Place the meat on a baking sheet or a shallow pan (like a pyrex pan), and shape into a uniform loaf. Drizzle ketchup over the top, if you're using it.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. The exact time will depend on how thick you make your loaf.
Let the meatloaf sit for a good ten minutes after taking it out of the oven before cutting into it. Serve with the usual--mashed potatoes, salad, whatever floats your boat.