This recipe is SOOOO decadent I try to only make it a few times a year. Enjoy!
Bacon Meatloaf
What you will need:
- 2 lbs. ground meat of choice (we used a mix of turkey and sirloin)
- 1-2 lbs. thick cut bacon
- 1-1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice
- 1-2 eggs, depending on size
- Italian-style bread crumbs to taste
- salt
- pepper
- crushed garlic or garlic salt
- a splash Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, or Liquid Aminos (I use liquid aminos)
- 4-6 cups chopped potatoes
How to do it:
- Mix meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, pepper and garlic together until well blended.
- Add chopped potatoes around the inside of a roasting pan, leaving a space to place the meatloaf in the middle.
- Add a layer of bacon to the middle of the roasting pan (the meatloaf will rest on this. If you want to be fancy, you can weave the bacon together, but otherwise, just make sure there is enough bacon to cover the bottom of the meatloaf.)
- Divide the meat and use about 2/3 of the mixture to form the bottom layer of the meatloaf on top of the bacon .
- Gently press a "canyon" in the middle of this layer. This will hold the cheese tunnel, so it should be deep and wide enough to accommodate, but not so large that it causes the loaf to get flimsy.
- Add cheese to the middle of the loaf, packing it down firmly.
- Take the remaining meat and form a patty large enough to cover the cheese tunnel (this layer can be much thinner than the other "walls" of the meatloaf. Smooth all the meat together so that there are no openings between the top and bottom.
- Add top layer of bacon and cover top of loaf.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic if desired, paying special attention to the potatoes.
- Cover with foil, and place in preheated 400 degree oven.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, checking halfway through. Adjust temperature as needed.
- Remove foil for last 5-10 minutes to brown top layer of bacon.
- Let sit for a few minutes before serving so that the cheese can set up. (I like to mix mozzarella in my cheeses to keep it from leaking out and onto the potatoes while it is cooking.)
- Stir potatoes before serving to make sure all the meaty bacon-y goodness is spread throughout
- Enjoy!