Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Years ago I worked in the archive department at a bank. When anyone would ask for a copy of a cheque, I was the one to look it up on microfiche (Seriously! This was a while ago but still. Catch up with current technology) I would find the cheque and print it out. It was such a boring job; the phrase mind-numbingly tedious comes to mind. When I first started I was told the goal was to have 4 cheques per hour. I don't know who had the job before I did but I swear they must have moved slower than molasses. When it was time for me to move on I was printing off 40 cheques per hour and that HUGE backlog was gone.

Despite the fact that I was working faster than my predecessor, I still found myself with a lot of time on my hands. My coworkers and I had some good conversations and we swapped a ton of recipes.

One day a co-worker told me that they had an upcoming family gathering and that she was going to make their speciality - Brown Sugar Meatloaf.

I had never heard of Brown Sugar Meatloaf before and was intrigued. They gladly gave me their recipe. That was nearly 20 years ago and this recipe has become my go to for making meatloaf. It is that good.

Ingredients

Ground beef - The amount you use depends on how much you want to make and how many people you plan on cooking for. I average about 1/4-1/2 pound ground beef per person. You can go with a leaner ground beef but for this recipe, I find regular works better.

Mashed potatoes - The amount depends on how much ground beef you have. I try to have equal parts ground beef and mashed potato. You can use any type. I find red potatoes have more moisture in them and white potatoes tend to be dried and more mealy.

Brown Sugar - I dont have an exact measurement for this as I tend to just eye ball it. I think I might use roughly 2-4tablespoons.

Catsup - This mixed with the brown sugar will for a sweet and savoury glaze for the meatloaf. No real amount here either.

Hot sauce - To taste. I like to use a ton of sriracha myself but if you want you can omit this. It does give a little bit o f a bite and cuts the sweetness of the brown sugar.

Garlic - To taste. I always have minced garlic on hand. I usually go for about 1-4 teaspoons per pound of ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450C.

While the oven is heating up, thoroughly mix equal parts raw ground beef and cooked mashed potatoes. It should look a little pink and a little like cake batter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic.

In a loaf pan, layer Brown Sugar along the bottom of the pan about a 1/2 inch thick or to taste. Top with the Catsup to cover. Squirt hot sauce over top of that. There is no need to mix it all in but if you want you can mix the hot sauce and catsup a little, leaving the brown sugar at the bottom undisturbed.

Top with the meatloaf making sure to spread it out evenly in the pan. Some of the catsup might press out to the sides. That is fine.

Place your loaf pan in the oven. Bake 45 minutes or until desired doneness.

Remove The meatloaf from the oven and allow it to cool for a few moments.

Run a knife along the edges to make sure it will come out of the pan

Invert the loaf pan onto a serving dish, allowing the loaf to drop out of pan. The catsup and brown sugar will have melted together to form a glaze. If any is still in the pan, spoon over top of the loaf by teaspoonfuls. Serve.