There is Parmesan in Hairy Bikers American meatloaf, between 50g and 100g of it, which is not something you find in a British one. It uses a kilo of minced steak, comes from Mums Still Know Best, and bakes for 50 to 60 minutes.
The recipe belongs to Nancy Davis, an American living in England who still cooks the food she grew up on. Her mum made meatloaf so badly that her dad called it Mom’s hockey puck, because it bounced off the floor when dropped.
Nothing gets cooked before it goes in the oven, and there is no glaze to brush on. You mix everything in one bowl, shape it and bake it, which is why this is the quicker of their two meatloaves.
Hairy Bikers American Meatloaf
Description
Everything goes into one bowl and gets mixed together, with nothing softened or fried first. Brown sauce and ketchup season the meat from the inside rather than glazing the top. It serves four to six depending on how you cut it.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat the oven: Preheat to 180°C, gas 4.
- Mix everything: Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Add more breadcrumbs if you need them to get it there.
- Shape the loaf: Form the mixture into a loaf shape.
- Bake: Place it in an ovenproof dish or a loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until the centre is firm.
- Serve: Great hot or cold, served with potato salad.
FAQs
Parmesan in a meatloaf?
Between 50g and 100g of it, grated in with everything else. It is the ingredient that makes this one different from any British version.
Parmesan is intensely savoury and it browns as the loaf bakes, so you get flavour through the middle and a better crust. The range is wide because it depends how strong you want it.
What does it mean, pulls away from the sides?
It is the test for whether the mixture will hold together. Keep mixing and it goes from loose and wet to a single mass that leaves the bowl clean and forms a ball in your hands.
If it will not do that, it is too wet, and the fix is more breadcrumbs. Use fresh bread rather than dried crumbs from a packet, since dried ones soak up far more liquid and would leave the loaf stodgy.
Minced steak or ordinary beef mince?
Minced steak is what the recipe calls for and it is leaner than standard beef mince. That matters here because there is no pork or sausage meat to add fat.
The milk, egg and Parmesan are what keep it moist instead. Standard beef mince will work and will be a little richer, but do not go for the very lean stuff or it will dry out over an hour.
Why is there no glaze on top?
Because the ketchup and brown sauce are already inside the loaf rather than on it. Three tablespoons of ketchup and two of brown sauce go into the mixture, so the flavour is through the meat.
That is the main difference from their meatloaf with gravy, which keeps four tablespoons of ketchup back and brushes it over the top with brown sugar. One is glazed, this one is seasoned throughout.
What do I serve with it?
Nancy’s potato salad, which is the recipe printed right after this one in the book and what they serve it with. Their potato salad uses American mustard and dill pickle juice, so it suits this loaf better than a creamy British one.
It is also good cold, which the recipe says outright. A cold slice with potato salad the next day is arguably better than the first night.
