Meatball Evolution Meatloaf

It's been a hectic week. My youngest daughter has been keeping the kitchen moving and making sure we don't all starve to death while we get through the end-of-semester crazies. This week she tackled a favorite of ours that she'd never made before. It was such a hit, we had her make it again two days later.

Before I found this recipe, meatloaf was one of those things that everyone loved, but the leftovers ended up getting thrown out. Nothing gets thrown out now, and my kids are very put out if they happen to miss out on dinner that night. There are no pictures today...they ate it all! I found one pan of leftovers! As you can see, our wee Irish hearts love potatoes, too.

I picked up this cookbook because the title promised so many good things. Dollars to Donuts: Comfort Food & Kitchen Wisdom from Froute 66's Landmark Rock Cafe. How do you pass that up? Then I started reading it, and it spoke to my heart. Cook once, make two or three different meals. Good meals. Cheap and irresistible. A working mom's dream. IF the recipes were good.

I tried a couple, and they turned out well. But the meatballs...they went beyond good. I had to chase my family out of the kitchen when I cooked them! I had a link for the meatballs, but the link seems to be dead. It also doesn't give the instructions for the meatloaf, so I'm going to post that here. Best meatloaf. Best ever. Trust me.

Leni's Notes:
~Something I don't think I've ever posted before. Don't change anything. I tweak everything to our liking. This recipe is perfect exactly the way it is.
~These meatballs freeze really well, and are great for stocking up the freezer.
~Double the glaze recipe for dipping.

Meatball Evolution
from Dollars to Donuts, pg 24

1 C dry bread crumbs
1 C milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 C parmesan
1 lg onion, chopped
1/4 C parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 T olive oil for frying

Meatballs

Make the meat mixture. Place the bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl, stir together, and set aside. Whisk the eggs and 1 cup of the Parmesan together in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and then add the beef and the breadcrumb mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until the mixture is well combined. Use your hands to roll golf ball–size pieces into smooth balls.

Cook the meatballs. Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough meatballs to fill the pan without overcrowding and cook, covered, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel–lined plate, sprinkle with some of the remaining Parmesan, and set aside. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Stir the meatballs into sauce or serve as is, sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan.

(These also bake well...wing it, bake until they are done. ;o)

Meatloaf
1/2 of meat recipe from meatball evolution
(Recipe calls for 6 fresh sage leaves which I didn't have so I left out.)
3 Bacon slices

Glaze
1/2 cup ketchup
1T honey
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place the meatloaf mixture in a bread pan or on a broiler pan, poke down through with a wooden spoon handle to help it cook evenly. If you're using bacon, place it on top.

Bake at 350 for about 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven, and slather with glaze. Bake 10-15 more minutes.