ELK MEATLOAF RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove crusts from bread, and place slices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried breadcrumbs in this step, as they will make your meatloaf rubbery.
• Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (Chopping vegetables this way saves time and ensures that vegetables will be small enough to cook through and not be crunchy). Transfer vegetables to bowl with the breadcrumbs.
• Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet, but tight enough to hold a free-form shape.
• Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf covering the parchment.
• Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until most of the water has evaporated. Transfer onion to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onion over the meatloaf.
• Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees. about 25 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool on rack, 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Season it with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• Remove half the onion-garlic mixture and set that aside to cool. Then add the spinach and red pepper flakes to the half remaining in the pan and toss with tongs until the spinach is wilted.
• Stir in the nutmeg. Set aside to cool.
• Place the breadcrumbs, oatmeal, parsley, chives, and thyme in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the top and let sit while you mix the meat.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, cooled onion-garlic mixture, and the eggs. Season well with salt and black pepper. Add the soaked bread crumb mixture and combine well. You could use a spoon for mixing, but it’s easier to just use your hands.
• Once the mixture is combined, lay a 1-inch layer of the meatloaf mixture on the bottom of a 1½-pound or 2-pound loaf pan. Pat it down so it reaches the corners, and allow it to come up the sides a bit. You will fill this cavity with the filling.
• Next, lay the cooled spinach mixture over the meat layer, leaving a ½-inch border of meat around the spinach. Top the spinach with the cheese sticks, forming a stripe in the center that runs the length of the pan. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese stripe then top with the remaining meat mixture and pat down. Be sure this top layer meets with the bottom meat mixture along the sides to form a seal.
• Pat the top of the loaf so it’s flat and even. Mix the mustard with the honey, then top of the loaf with this mixture.
• Bake for 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F when inserted in the center.