Nigella Lawson’s Meatloaf… Cuz Yay, Weekend food!

My idea of a lush weekend is spending time in my kitchen, music on, wine in hand, slowly fiddling over a recipe and the only thing that excites me more is the thought of Bradley Cooper fiddling away in my kitchen *snort*.

Whereas Friday nights tend to be something special but quick, like my bacon, gorgonzola & mushroom steak-style sandwich or prawns with feta & piri piri, on Saturday and Sunday I look for something a little more robust. Something that gives me leftovers, makes me feel goddessy and gives me the opportunity to guzzle plenty of wine as I cook!

One of our favourite family meals is Nigella Lawson’s Meatloaf. I’ve long been a fan of food with a hint of ‘Americana’ and meatloaf screams US of A to me!

It makes me want to slip on a poodle print 50’s skirt, drag my hair into a ponytail and shout out, “Dinner’s ready ya’ll, come grab yourselves a glass of root beer!” whilst slapping my thigh.

Ahem…

I serve this with a bubbling dish of cauliflower cheese, buttered peas and onion gravy. I don’t normally cook potatoes with it, but if I were to, they would be mashed and heavily buttered, coz butter.

 

This makes a whopper of a meatloaf, Nigella states it serves 8 – 10, even so, I make it as it is for my family of 5 (bearing in mind two of my kids eat as much a a squirrel).

Leftovers are amazing on Danish rye bread with a smear of hot mustard, or sliced up into sandwiches made with really good fresh white bread or alternatively simply jammed into the mouth straight from fridge with a blob of mayo.

To be fair, leftovers are just good. Period.

The step of slow cooking the onions cannot be skipped. I know it seems like a pain in the arse to fry the onions for 20 minutes, but believe me, it’s what makes this meatloaf the best you’ve ever eaten!

If you fancy some easy, cozy, nostalgic cooking this is the recipe for you!

*hitches up poodle skirt and skips off to the kitchen*

 

What you need

• 4 eggs
• 4 onions, roughly 500g
• 5 x 15ml tablespoons of butter or duck fat
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon of Worcester sauce
• 1 kilo of minced/ground beef
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs (I have omitted this on occasion and the loaf still works)
• 250g rindless streaky bacon

large roasting tin/dish.

 

What you do

Firstly, preheat your oven to 200°C/ gas mark 6 / 425°F. Now bring a pan of water up to the boil and pop in 3 of the eggs and simmer for 8 minutes. Then refresh in cold water.

Peel and chop the onions, then fry gently in the duck fat or butter with the salt for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden and caramelised. Stir regularly to prevent burning. Once done set aside on a cold plate to cool.

Place the beef in a bowl, add the Worcester sauce & the cooled onions, mix in well with your hands. Now add the remaining egg, the breadcrumbs and a good grinding of black pepper and mix well.

Now divide the mixture into 2, and place half into your baking tin or dish. Pat it into an oval shape of about 23cm long. Peel the 3 eggs gently (they will be wobbly and strangely satisfying to handle) and place in a line on the middle of the meat mixture.

Shape and mould the remaining meat over the top of the eggs, making sure there are no gaps, then cover the meatloaf with the bacon rashers.

Finally, bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the juices run clear and then leave to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Now all you need to do is slice thickly and get stuck in my beauties!

Sarah x