Actually it’s his mom’s meatloaf. I saw this fabulous sounding comfort food recipe over at mister anchovy’s the other day and knew I would have to try it, especially now that the days are getting chilly. It’s been many many years since I made a meatloaf. There are a couple of differences here from the original recipe, the main one being that I couldn’t find any Heinz chili sauce (the “secret” ingredient!) and substituted Heinz barbeque sauce with added chili flakes. I also added a dollop of dijon and a splash of worchestershire to the meat. Oh, and also a whack of garlic. Natch.

Recipe and instructions below the links.

• one onion and one green pepper, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 400 grams each of ground beef and ground pork
• a generous handful of breadcrumbs
• one egg
• dollop of grainy dijon
• splash of worchestershire
• dried basil, thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper
• bacon strips
• Heinz chili sauce

Mix onion, pepper, ground meat, breadcrumbs, spices and egg together in a large bowl. Squish it around with your hands until everything is well-mixed.

Form into one big or two smaller loaves. Place in a rectangular baking pan, making sure to leave space between the loaf and the side of the pan. Totally cover the top with bacon strips. Brush with the “secret ingredient” – Heinz chili sauce – and bake in a 175ºC (350ºF) oven for about an hour. Smaller loaves may only take about 45 minutes.

Serve hot for dinner… but be sure to save some for sandwiches next day, on crusty kaiser buns.