Recipe: Lamb Meatloaf with Rosemary

It's good when the animals on the farm make nice - especially since this recipe calls for both lamb and turkey, and I found they do play well together!

Wanting to experiment with ground lamb for quite a while, I finally decided to give it a go. Meatloaf seemed like it would be the fastest and easiest way to get it onto my table and into my hubby's mouth (he normally doesn't like to eat lamb - see posting "Our Kitchen's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy"). The lamb is the featured meat in this loaf, but it needed to be paired with another meat to keep it subtle, so my logical choice was ground turkey - it's not too oily, it's very juicy and mild, and it just blends well with other meats. Oh yeah - it's healthy too!

Of course, there are as many meatloaf recipes out there as there are moms, grandmas, aunts, cousins, and Uncle Buds that like to cook. The great thing about a meatloaf is it can be pretty forgiving, so it can be very fun to play with. That being said, you'll want to refer to my "Lesson Learned" below, where I share an important thing to remember about one particular ingredient.

BTW, before you laugh at the topping...sure, I could've/should've paired this meatloaf with some apple/mint concoction on top, but my husband really likes ketchup with his meatloaf, and I mean he squirts a mountain on his plate for dipping (sigh). Sometimes it's best to just go with the flow a little.

So, without further adieu...

Lamb Meatloaf with Rosemary

Ingredients:

1 lb pkg ground lamb
1 lb pkg ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, diced into small pieces
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 - 4 small garlic cloves, minced
5 tbsp (1 dollop) applesauce
1/2 cup jasmine rice (measured before cooking), cooked
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced (can substitute dried)
1 tbsp lavender buds, ground (optional)
1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt (approx.)
1 tsp ground black pepper (approx.)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (approx.)

Topping:

approx 1/2 cup mix of your favorite BBQ sauce and ketchup.

Directions:

Oh, this is so fun and easy! After you've cooked your rice, diced your onion and minced your garlic and rosemary (and ground your lavender buds if you're using them), just throw all the ingredients (except the topping) into a large bowl and mix well.


Put meat mixture into a bread loaf pan (I use Pyrex), or you may shape your own loaf on a cookie sheet pan covered with foil. Try to eliminate any air pockets in the meatloaf - this is easy to do in the bread loaf pan because you can tamp it down with your wooden spatula or a large spoon.

Spread your topping mixture evenly on top, and bake uncovered at 350° for 1 - 1.25 hrs.

Serve with a side of applesauce, mint sauce, or (gulp!) ketchup.

• "Like my mother, I don't measure any of my ingredients (except when it's required, as when baking), so the measurements are approximations of what I used. If you cook a lot you'll know how to season this to your taste, otherwise just follow the recipe. Remember - cooking is one big experiment! Have FUN with it!!!"

• "I used to emulate my mother by using my hands to mix, but over the past few years I've started using a large wooden spatula, and it's now much easier to clean up afterwards."

Lesson Learned:

I thought I would take a short cut this time and let the rice cook in the meatloaf while it baked, because you can literally see the juices boiling through the sides of the glass. I found out the hard way that only the exterior rice touching the sides of the glass was cooked properly - the rest of the rice was cooked too, but the texture was way off. It didn't affect the flavor, nor the overall texture too badly, but I learned my lesson about rice and shortcuts. ;-)