I’ve mentioned before that I suspect my parents do not enjoy being my guinea pigs, and this is why they are hesitant whenever I invite them over for dinner. So last night, I took dinner over to them! Or I took the stuff to make dinner over to them, if you wanna get technical about it.
Here’s what I made:
Meatloaf Cupcakes ala Bakerella
Meatloaf Ingredients: (I halved the original recipe. My version makes 12 “cupcakes.” So if you want to make more, double everything!)
-1 lbs ground chuck
-1 cup whole wheat bread, torn into little bitty pieces (I used white bread. That’s all my parents had. What is up with THAT?? We were never allowed to eat white bread when I was living with them….)
-8 ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used sharp cheddar cause it’s all I had. I was afraid it was going to be too strong, but I loved how these turned out!)
-1 half medium onion, diced
-1 whole egg, lightly beaten
-1/8 cups tomato sauce
-1/8 cups ketchup
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
Meatloaf Sauce Ingredients:
-1/4 cup tomato sauce
-1/4 cup ketchup
-1 tablespoon regular mustard
-1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar (I didn’t bring any vinegar with me, and Mom and Dad didn’t have any. Dad went to the store to buy some, but it took longer than anticipated and I had to go ahead without it. We didn’t miss the vinegar, but I’ll probably use it next time just to see how that goes.)
-1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
Cream Potato “Icing” Ingredients:
-3 big potatoes, peeled and cubed
-3/4 stick butter
-2 teaspoons salt
-¼ cups sour cream
-¼ cups evaporated milk (I have never used evaporated milk in potatoes before and I was a little worried…but these potatoes are awesome!)
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350°
-Line cupcake trays with 12 aluminum foil baking cup liners. (Mom and Dad gave me all of their cupcake pans, so I just sat the foil baking cups on a cookie sheet. Since the meatloaf doesn’t change shape as it cooks, this works just fine.)
-Mix ground chuck, bread pieces, cheese, onion, eggs, salt, pepper and the tomato sauce and ketchup.
-Fill each cup with meatloaf mixture. Press into aluminum baking cups and fill tops above the liners in a mounded shape simulating the finished cupcake shape since the mixture won’t rise.
So wrong, but they turn out so right!
-Bake for almost an hour or until done.
SAUCE
-About halfway through baking, mix together ingredients for the sauce and spoon or baste it on the tops of the meatloaf cupcakes.
CREAM POTATOES
-While meatloaves are baking, prepare potatoes.
-Boil peeled and cubed potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender.
-Drain in a colander and return to pot. Add butter and salt.
-With a mixer, beat on medium until completely smooth.
-Add sour cream and evaporated milk for a creamier consistency. (Of course you can add more or less sour cream and milk to please your own palate. Crazy, huh?)
ASSEMBLY
-When meatloaves are done, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Remove the foil liners from the trays. (Unless you are like me and just used a cookie sheet. Then you can leave them where they are for now!) Be careful because the sauce may cause the edges to stick to the trays. Separate with a knife if this happens and lift out of the trays. The meat will have shrunk a little and some grease will be in the bottom of the liners so be careful. (See? Just skip the muffin trays and use the cookie sheet. You don’t need this extra hassle!)
-Spoon potatoes into a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off and pipe potatoes on top of meatloaves in a swirling motion.
"Frosted" vs. Not "Frosted." Looks to me like meatloaf was made to be covered up!
-Use leftover sauce when serving if you like.
-Enjoy this adorable little dinner!
Dinner is Served!
Seriously guys. I hate meatloaf. But this recipe is yummmmmy. The potatoes are awesome, and the cute little presentation….you can’t go wrong! I am absolutely making these for the next church potluck or baby shower or whatever that comes my way. Who knew meatloaf could be so much fun? Bakerella, that’s who – and now you and me, too!
Deeelicioso!
Go ahead, play with your food!
Becki
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
i wish i was your guinea pig.. looks great
becki, this is so wrong that it’s right.
and i want it. like now. like soon.
{ 1 trackback }