Sunday Dinner: Meatloaf

Meatloaf has long been a family favorite. We often had it on Sundays at my maternal grandmother's (called Grandmother) house, but for many years we had it every Monday evening at my paternal grandmother's (called Grandma) house.

Grandma's neighbor Mrs. Cook would make a pot of pinto beans every Monday for her. Grandma worked in the mill and didn't have the hours devoted to cooking beans on the stove. Instead of the customary mashed potatoes, she would often make fried potatoes because that is what her four grandchildren coming to dinner loved. Grandma would also slice an onion and there might be another vegetable or two. Grandma always made the best cornbread.

Here is how you make a meatloaf in the Beaumont Mill Village style (both grandmothers made it this way).

1 to 2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped and diced (Grandma always diced it in larger pieces so that her picky grandkids would be able to pick it out easier).
2 eggs
2 slices of day old bread (grated or crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup

You mix all this together with your fingers. It is cold and a really gross feeling.
Once mixed, you put it in a loaf pan.
Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. (You may have to drain the grease off a couple of times, depends on the fat content of the ground beef.)

Once it is cooked thoroughly, remove and add a thin layer of ketchup.
Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

And then you will have a meatloaf Beaumont style.

As Julia Child would say, Bon Appétit. It was her birthday on August 15th. She would have been 100 years old. If you haven't checked out the movie, Julie and Julia, you really should. It is a wonderful movie inspired by Julie Powell's blog.