Mini Meatloaves

1 1/2 pound meatloaf mix (or just ground beef)
2/3 cup crushed saltines
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tbls mustard
3 tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper

glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp cider vinegar


Mix together the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, egg, milk, crumbs, cayenne, garlic and onion together. Then mix that in with the meat. Form it into 4 tight loaves and brown them on both sides in a skillet on medium high. While they are browning, mix up the glaze. Once they are browned transfer them to a broiling rack set in a pan lined with foil and brush them with 1 tbl glaze each. Bake at 500 till thoroughly cooked, 7-9 minutes. Serve hot with remaining glaze on the side. (From Cooks Country Magazine)

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To continue my unofficial comfort food series, mini meatloaves. This recipe is from Cooks Country (the recipe above is straight from CC), although with a few minor changes. For one I didn't have any Worcestershire sauce, so I didn't add that. I also didn't put the milk in since I only had about 2/3 of a pound of beef and I figured the one whole egg would make them plenty tender (and it did). I also didn't use saltines, I just used regular bread crumbs. I didn't use onion powder, I used dried minced onion since I didn't have any real onion (or else I would have used that). Instead of garlic powder I roasted a clove of garlic and mashed it into a paste and used that. Just in case some of you are wondering why a magazine like Cooks Country is using onion powder and such in a meatloaf, it's because this is a quick recipe, it only takes a half hour, start to finish. So they aren't slacking, they're streamlining. Heh. But, I'm going to show you how to do it the way I did, since that's the way I did it.

First cook the garlic. To roast one (or two or three or four) cloves of garlic, wrap it, still in the skin, in some aluminum foil with a little oil and cook it at 375 for 15 minutes or so.There you go, one clove of roasted garlic. Now you want to take everything and mix it together. That's one of the great things about meatloaf, it's wicked easy. Since I only had 2/3 of a pound of beef I formed it into two loaves instead of four. Also I should probably note, I don't use meatloaf mix. For those not in the know, meatloaf mix is a mixture of beef, pork and veal that you can buy at the supermarket. I don't eat veal, it's a personal thing. But don't let that stop you from using the mix if you want.Now brown up the loaves in a frying pan. This gives them a nice crust that you wouldn't be able to get on these small loaves in the oven without drying them out wicked bad. While they are browning mix up the glaze. I was a little worried about the glaze since it mostly tasted like ketchup, but it worked out really well. When the loaves are browned move them (carefully) to a broiling rack that is in a pan. I lined the pan with foil to make cleanup easier. Put some glaze on each of them and toss them into your 500 degree oven. I actually did it at 450 by accident, but they came out fine. Once they are cooked (I left them in for about 12-14 minutes, I'm paranoid about ground beef), let them sit for a minute to ooze out the last of the grease and serve. I had wanted mashed potatoes on the side, but forgot to make them. I'm kind of a flake sometimes. So I busted out some stuffing instead. Add a little more glaze if you want, it's pretty good stuff. So, these were very good. Tender and moist, lots of flavor. The dried onion actually worked really well, it absorbed the juices and plumped a bit and added a great flavor. I will be making these again. Just in case you want the recipe for two, here it is.

My Mini Meatloaves:
2/3 pound ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp mustard
1 egg
1/2 tsp diced onion
1 roasted garlic clove
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper

Glaze
2 tbls ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps cider vinegar

(directions are the same as above) Mix together the mustard, parsley, egg, crumbs, cayenne, garlic and onion together. Then mix that in with the meat. Form it into 2 tight loaves and brown them on both sides in a skillet on medium high. While they are browning, mix up the glaze. Once they are browned transfer them to a broiling rack set in a pan lined with foil and brush them with 1 tbl glaze each. Bake at 500 till thoroughly cooked, 7-9 minutes. Serve hot with remaining glaze on the side.