Chunks of beef tend to be expensive these days, especially when there are many people to feed in a family. The beef sales are most often the ground varieties. I like ground beef. It is versatile, filling, and quite presentable. Of cours, the first ground beef meal that comes to mind is meat loaf. Competitive meat loaf recipes could initiate wars! Everyone has their favorite and I can't and won't dispute it here. I, too, have my preferences but like to hear about other methods of stretching ground beef.
Basic Meat Loaf
2-3 pounds of ground beef (More or less depending on need)
4 eggs
2 cups fresh bread crumbs, Panko crumbs, crushed croutons, or oatmeal . . .
1 finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients and form into rounded loaf and place in greased baking dish. You may not have a sufficiently large enough dish so you can divide the meat and make two. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on size of your meat loaf. Drain off accumulated fat, slice, and serve.
For interesting variations . . .
*Coat the meatl loaf before bakine with tomoatoe or barbeque sauce.
* Lay strips of raw bacon on the bottom of your baking dish before you form your meat loaf.
*For a tasty version, add half a cup of crumbled Feta cheese to your mixtures.
*Mix in a cup of sharp, grated cheddar cheese and you have a one-dish, baked cheese burger.
*Don't forget to check out the herbs and spices! Basil, Dill, Chili flakes, etc. can all be considered according to your tastes.
If you work it right, you can have enough leftovers for another meal. Don't worry, we are not talking about reheated, dried out meat loaf. Slice the leftover meat loaf into thick slices. Dip into beaten egg and then into seasoned flour, coating both sides. Place in sizzling frying pan with a bit of olive oil or butter (or both!) Brown on both sides and serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment