Winter Warm-Up — Mid-Century Maurer

If you had to choose two favorite prepared dishes to get you through the winter, what would they be? While I have many that are worthy of being in the top rankings, I always come back to meatloaf and macaroni and cheese this time of year.

The lingering chill of winter spurs my desire to get nostalgic and crank up the oven to fill the house with aromas of fresh-baked, homemade goodness. It’s the season when family style portions and robust flavors keep us feeling warm and cozy.

Growing up, we would often have meatloaf for dinner. I recall my mom’s “secret ingredient” was a packet of onion soup mix, which also had a recipe for meatloaf on the side of the box. Invented by Lipton in the early 1950s, dehydrated onion soup mix became a popular ingredient for many dishes. I loved that delicious salt bomb packet, no doubt, but as an adult, I find it to be an unnecessary, overpowering additive.

Now I’m not here to preach to you about a healthy diet. This is after all an article about comfort food! But like so many foods we consume, meatloaf already contains plenty of salt. By gathering just a few spices from the cupboard, you can make meatloaf a little less…well…salty. Give this spicy, modern take on a comfort classic a try.

Tip:

Create your own salt-free seasoning with just a few simple spices from the cupboard. It’s a little better for you, and flavor is not compromised.

Spicy Meatloaf

Prep: 20 min. | Cook: 1 hour | Serves: 4-6

Glaze:
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup sriracha chili sauce

Ingredients:
1 lb. 90/10 ground beef
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1½ Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Half green bell pepper (small dice)
Half yellow onion (small dice)
1 egg
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
½ cup reduced sodium beef broth

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for ease of clean-up.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line full size baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease foil with cooking spray.

In a small dish, stir together ketchup and sriracha. Set aside.

Combine ground beef, sausage, spices, bell pepper, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, and beef broth into large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of glaze, reserving remaining ¼ cup. Mix by hand until ingredients are evenly distributed.

Empty meatloaf mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Shape into long, rectangular loaf (approximately 15” l x 5” w x 3” h). Spread remaining glaze over meatloaf with rubber spatula, allowing glaze to drip over edges.

Bake for 1 hour. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board without foil for slicing.

For Our Next Course…

Something I appreciate about preparing both meatloaf and macaroni and cheese together is that they bake at the same oven temperature (350°). With a little planning, you can have both dishes hot and ready out of the oven at the same time. My preference is to assemble the mac and cheese first, then wait to bake once the meatloaf is halfway done. We’ll get to that in a moment. Onto the mac and cheese!

“With a little planning, you can have both dishes hot and ready out of the oven at the same time.”

This is another dish that evokes nostalgic memories for me. Macaroni and cheese was never the processed-powder-in-a-box kind at our home. We were lucky enough to have the real deal made with fresh grated cheese, large elbow macaroni, and buttery breadcrumbs. Baked in a proper mid-century style casserole dish, it was always a visual delight.

Today, I like to experiment with flavors in this dish by mixing a variety of cheeses. Mac and cheese is one of those meals that allow for improvisation and culinary adventure. It’s also an excellent use for leftover cheeses you may have on hand. The more, the merrier in this dish, so feel free to get creative as you try this recipe for yourself.

Classic Macaroni & Cheese

Prep: 15 min. | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
16 oz. large elbow macaroni (prepared according to instructions)
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups sharp cheddar (shredded)
1 cup monterey jack (shredded)
1/2 cup sharp white cheddar (shredded)
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. stone ground mustard
½ tsp. ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. butter (melted)
1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large stock pot, prepare macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Prepare a greased 13”x9” casserole dish. Set aside.

In a 3 qt. saucepan, add milk and whipping cream over medium heat. Whisk until scalding hot, but not boiling. Reduce heat to simmer, and add cheeses, mustard, and black pepper. Whisk constantly until ingredients have incorporated into a smooth cheese sauce (5-7 min.).

Add prepared macaroni to saucepan, stirring gently to evenly coat with cheese sauce. Transfer macaroni mixture to prepared casserole dish.

Melt butter in microwave-safe glass measuring cup. Add breadcrumbs to melted butter, and stir with fork to combine. Evenly sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over macaroni. Bake for 30 minutes.

Turn oven to broil (500°), and bake for 1-2 minutes for a golden brown finish. Watch carefully as not to scorch! Remove from oven and serve hot (and with the meatloaf, of course).