Meat loaf and mashed potatoes were a standard in the Clarke household. Meat loaf is a comfort food with European origins. It takes a while to bake, but is easy to prepare and tastes wonderful! (Seriously, this dish is AMAZING.)

The recipe below makes enough meat loaf to serve 6-8 adults. I used 2 lbs of ground beef and I couldn’t fit the whole mixture in a single loaf pan! I ended up filling the loaf pan about ¾ to the top and then using the remaining mixture to form a second, smaller loaf which I cooked on a baking sheet. The freeform loaf turned out so beautifully that I think I’ll do it with the whole mixture next time!

Meat Loaf

• 1½ to 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 cup of fine bread crumbs (or Corn Flake crumbs)
• 1 or 2 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 ½ tsp. of worcestershire sauce
• 1 onion finely chopped (or onion salt)

[Combine all ingredients in a large bowl]
Bake for 1 hr. 15 min. at 350°F

Topping (optional)

• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp ketchup

Mix ingredients and pour on top of loaf before baking to form a savory-sweet crust.