Meatloaf Master (That's Me......Jenna B)

And so the fateful day finally arrived on Thursday, October 13. Jenna and Geoff were kind enough to host and host did they ever (I think the above photo gives you an idea)!

This round we had 7 entries.....yeah, our little club is getting popular. The great thing about having that many entries is the variety it brings.

Before I even had time to start researching the ultimate meatloaf, my mother called me with a recipe she had come across in the newspaper. She read it to me and I decided I had to make it. The surprise "element" sold me. More on that to come shortly....

AJ and I both prepared our dishes the night before and cooked them just before heading to the Burke residence. AJ used a traditional loaf pan and I used a 9X9 square pan.

As you can imagine, upon arrival to our hosts' home, we are all begging for a few minutes of oven time to reheat our delicious dishes.

Most of the other contestants also used a loaf pan except for Nick, who managed to cook his loaf using wax paper, foil and a cookie sheet. It sort of lacked any kind of form definition, but he made up for it in his plating for sure. Each contestant had a few minutes in the kitchen to cut up and plate their meatloaf to attempt to keep each entry as secretive as possible. Thankfully, in addition to the 7 competitors we had 5 new tasters which really helped to balance the voting.

We sampled each entry one and a time and chatted about what we were tasting and what we liked. Nick and Jaime went 1 and 2 and both packed super flavor and drew on Mexican influence. Jaime's looked traditional, but had some serious kick and included Mexican Mozzarella and a salsa-like sauce.

Nick's tasted like a enchilada casserole. As mentioned before his plating was very creative (see below). He used a hard shelled tostada as the based, layered with refried beans, his slice of meatloaf and then topped with a fantastic homemade guac sauce. As much as I loved the creativity, it was spicy! I am also a wimp though when it comes to heat....not temperature....after all I do live in Arizona....but spice.

I must admit at this point I was beginning to freak out a little. My meatloaf was next and I was afraid compared to the flavor and spice of the previous two -- mine would taste bland and boring. However, I also had the surprise ingredient in mine which you could only see once plated.....mashed potatoes with ricotta. Upon one bite Geoff's brother-in-law said it reminded him of his grandmother's meatloaf and my confidence was immediately restored. Nothing beats comfort food that reminds you of your youth. I also have to pat myself on the back for using lighter/healthier meats....ground turkey and hot Italian chicken sausage. The sausage gave it a nice kick and the Romano/ricotta/mozzarella helped to keep it moist (I hate that word).

Up next was AJ's meatloaf and it was also extremely flavorful and very "meaty." He used a combination of ground chuck and ground pork, but had also included about a quarter of a pound of sauteed panchetta. Very traditional and very good. I would also like to point out he did not follow a recipe.

Jenna's had a nice sweetness to it because of the veggies she included in the meat. I would probably have to say hers was a hybrid of sorts....if you were not keen on "meatloaf" this would easily surprise you because of the amount of mushrooms, onions, green pepper and spinach in this dish. The meat primarily created some texture to the dish and did not take over in flavor. Her loaf looked more like a log roll (I should have taken a better picture of hers....forgive me). I did, however, take a picture of the beautiful green beans she prepared as a complimentary side for dinner.....

Julie's meatloaf followed and it legitimately tasted like an Italian meatball. Had I been blindfolded....I would have guessed a meatball. Very good and the tomato based sauce was delicious. AJ says it was the "best meatloaf she has ever made." Since she has been cooking for him for 28 years now....I think that says a lot.

And last, but not least, Tim's meatloaf. I feel like the only thing I need to say is that it was wrapped in bacon. I would have put money on AJ voting for this one based on that alone since I truly believe he loves bacon more than me....you know....his wife. But whatever. Tim's was delicious....a little burned on the bottom but good. This seems to be a trend with Tim. If he reads this (which I know he does not).....sorry!

That was a lot of meatloaf..............

It was now voting time and if you could nor tell my the title of this entry......I WON! I did not even vote for myself and I WON! So it was time for the Other Jenna to hand it over......and she did with dignity and honor. I quickly snatched and it and grabbed my phone to call my mom.

After a small celebration on my part.....

We moved onto the blind folded pallet test....Julie was kind enough to supply the group with the ingredients and once again it was not an easy test! She started us with a perogi (which was tough and only AJ got this one) next came shrimp cocktail sauce followed a beef tamale and finishing with a piece of Giradelli's dark chocolate infused with orange. I guessed Rochelle but it did not matter because I only got 3 out of the 4.

AJ won. I feel as though I need to point this out and give him a lot of credit because he has officially been our runner up to ALL 3 challenges now and he is starting to doubt himself especially because he is married to a WINNER! :)

Honestly though the real winners were Homer and Trixie who had to endure all the smells coming from the kitchen all night.....poor doggies!

Thankfully, the 3rd white dog (Payson) was not there otherwise, I would have really felt bad!

 

After a heated debated about the next focus of the AACC challenge, we finally decided on a homemade soup. And when I say homemade, you have to make your own stock if it calls for it! That is intense! Game on. It was a great evening of conversation, eating and winning (well for me). We grabbed a few more of the yummy mini cupcakes and headed home! Thanks again for hosting Jenna and Geoff. 

HAPPY (early) HALLOWEEN!

And for those of you who requested the Mash-in-the-Middle Meatloaf here it is:

1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pound s ground turkey, beef or chicken

(I used 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 hot Italian chicken sausage - make sure to squeeze out of casing)

1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian-seasoned are best)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 Romano cheese, grated

3 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed

1/2 pounds ricotta cheese (15-ounce container)

1 cup mozzarella or provolone cheese, shredded

• Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent
• Place uncooked ground meat in bowl. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, chicken broth and Romano cheese. Mix thoroughly. Add onions and garlic once cooled
• in another bowl, combined mashed potatoes and ricotta
• Grease 8-inch by 10-inch oblong or 9-inch by 9-inc square casserole. Spoon half the meat mixture over the bottom of the dish. Spread mashed potatoes mixture over this, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges so the potatoes can spread. Sprinkle mozzarella, provolone or cheese of choice over potato mixture. Cover with remaining meat mixture and press down edges so that potato mixture doesn't seep out during baking. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese if desired.
• Bake at 350 degrees for on hour or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving to allow mashed potatoes to firm up.

Recipe by Jan D'Atri from the AZ Republic