Stuffed Meatloaf with a Cherry Glaze

Well this week's post will cover an old family favorite with a sweet twist!

I was cooking for my cousin's birthday and he requested meatloaf. So I made it but put a small twist in. Read on for the recipe.

Cheese and Mushroom Stuffed Meatloaf: Serves 6 to 8 people 10 minute prep 1 hour cook time
9 x 12 baking dish
3lbs thawed Ground Beef
2 Medium to Large Eggs
3/4 cup Dry Oats
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup sliced Mushrooms (canned or fresh)
1/4 cup chopped Onion
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Garlic powder
1-2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper

Now prep your work area with a large mixing bowl and a medium mixing bowl and all you ingredients within easy reach. Fill the medium mixing bowl with warm water and keep it with in reach of the large mixing bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Take your ground beef and place in your mixing bowl. Use a spoon/spatula to break apart the form. Add your Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Garlic powder, chopped onion, 1/4 cup of cheese, 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 1/2 tsp of pepper. Hopefully at this point your hands are clean or you're wearing food prep gloves. Using one hand start kneading the meat, thoroughly spreading the seasoning throughout the meat. You will notice (hopefully you're not using room temperature meat) your hand will definitely be cold if not freezing. Well remember that bowl of warm water that I had you get out?

Guess what it's for? Yep, dip your hand into the water to keep the chill down also the water is there to put some moisture in the meat mixture. You don't want a dry meatloaf. So don't dry your hand off. Dip into the water and put it right back into the meat. Repeat as many times as you need to keep your hand from freezing.

Once the meat is thoroughly mixed, grab two(2) handfuls of dry oats (that's a little under 3/4 cup), and toss into the meat. Crack those 2 eggs and add both the yolks and the whites. If you don't use the yolks add a third egg. The eggs and the oats are important as fillers and stabilizers. You don't want to have a flat meat patty for dinner. Mix thoroughly.

I use stoneware baking dishes so I have no need to grease my pans but if you do use any type of metal panware, using half a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a cut clove of garlic, grease the pan thoroughly. Add your meat to the pan and spread evenly using the entire pan. Create an inch thick trough in the middle of the meat using your fist. Make sure it's not to deep. You're creating a folding point and a place to put the cheese and mushrooms.

Place the rest of the cheese and the mushrooms in this trough, piling high. Grabbing one side of the meat patty, pull it up and over being careful not to tear any part of the side. Bring up one of the ends to meet the side and pinch together, then do the same at the other end. Now bring up the last side, again pinching the ends on each side to keep it up. Begin folding and pinching boths sides together, being sure to leave 3 finger wide openings on the top that reach to the cheese and mushrooms.

Cheese likes to expand when heated and having these openings will allow the cheese to go up and cover the top instead of bursting the side and having all the the cheese spill to the bottom of the pan.Use the warm water to smooth out the pinching and folding. Add a small pinch of Thyme and Oregano to the top of the loaf along with the rest of the salt and pepper. All to taste of course.

Place your loaf on the center rack in your preheated oven and let it cook for one(1) hour. I like to check at least once to make sure all is going well. Always cook to your own preference. Longer for a more well done taste or shorter for a more rare taste.

An Optional way for building this is to roll out the meat into a giant flat patty about 8 1/2 inches wide with about an half inch or less thickness. Then top with the cheese and mushrooms all over and rolling it up so that you get a spiral shape if you look the end. Pinch or fold the each end until there is no opening s that the cheese can squeeze through and place into your baking dish with the seam down. Using a straight, thin knife, create 4 openings by plunging the knife straight down to about 3/4 depth of the loaf and wiggling the knife back and forth to create a small slit that has an eighth of an inch at the top. This is for the possible cheese expansion.

Cherry Glaze: 4 to 6 servings 5 min prep/cooking time
1 1/2 cups of pitted and chopped Cherries
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan add the cherries, over medium heat. Once soft and a nice glaze is forming on the bottom of the pan, add all the other ingredients together and blend throgoughly. Bring to a light boil and then let simmer. After the sauce has thickened, take off stove top and place the sauce in a glass bowl, cover and placed in fridge overnight.

Once your meatloaf is done take out of fridge and stir. You can either spread across the finished meat loaf or serve individually on each slice of loaf. It's great either way.

For a more healthier meal: Use two (2) pounds of ground turkey and 1 pound of lean ground beef and cut the cheese to 1 cup. Also use a roasting pan that allows the fat drippings to fall away from the meat.

Well there you have it! A Cherry glazed Meatloaf stuffed with Cheddar Cheese and Mushrooms! Man, was it good. Can't wait until I have the leftovers! See you next week for another mouthwatering recipe!!