Meatloaf

• Servings: 4 to 6.

I've long thought that I made a rather good meatloaf and several years ago included my recipe here at The City Cook. But that recipe, despite its years of success at my table, now sits in the shadow of one much better, by the remarkable women of Canal House. In Canal House: Cook Something, Recipes To Rely On, authors Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer have given us not just this fabulous meatloaf recipe, but also an inspiring guide to home cooking.

In the introduction to the recipe, Hamilton and Hirsheimer write:

"A warm slice of tender meatloaf is irresistible. And a sandwich made with a cold slice or two of leftover meatloaf ranks right up there with the best of flavors. We often make two meatloaves to last us through the week."

Ingredients

• For the meatloaf:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Beau Monde seasoning, or 2 teaspoons celery salt and 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh bread crumbs
• 3 pounds meatloaf mix or 1 pound ground chuck, 1 pound ground pork, and 1 pound ground veal
• For the sauce:
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. For the meatloaf, preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring from time to time, until softened, 8–10 minutes. Transfer the onions to a plate, spreading them out to cool.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the egg, heavy cream, ricotta, Beau Monde seasoning, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs, folding them in with a rubber spatula. Fold in the cooled onions.
3. Use clean hands or a rubber spatula to mix the beef, pork, and veal into the bread crumb mixture. It will be quite loose and wet, but that is what makes the meatloaf so tender.
4. Pack the meat mixture into a 2-quart terrine, 4 × 13-inch Pullman loaf pan, or two 1-quart loaf pans. Pat the meat into a dome-shaped top.
5. For the sauce, mix together the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce on top of the meatloaf. You may have some left over; serve it alongside the cooked meatloaf.
6. Set the meatloaf on a foil-lined baking pan and transfer it to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 1 hour. Allow the meatloaf to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. (The longer it rests the better, as it will slice more easily.) The first couple of slices can be tricky to remove from the pan, but then it becomes easier when you have a little more space.