Dining with Den – Mini Meatloaf

Mini Meatloaf

Ingredients 

1 kg beef mince

Half a red onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

125g of rolled oats

1 large egg

125ml milk

Potato topping

750g washed potatoes

200 ml milk

20g butter, melted

Salt flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

40 g butter

60 g grated cheese to top

Glaze

125 ml tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon of mustard (Dijon is best)

Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180c

To make the potato topping, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Keep the peel aside. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat just a bit and when cooked, turn off the heat, drain the potatoes, and return them to the hot dry saucepan to steam dry.

When the potatoes are cooking, place the milk and potato peelings in another saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer for about 10 minutes to release the starch from the skins but most of all flavour the milk. Turn off the heat and leave to sit.

Mash the potatoes with the butter, salt and pepper, strain the milk and add to the potatoes a bit at a time until you have a smooth consistency. Keep warm until ready to use.

To make the meatloaf, mix the mince, onion and garlic together. Stir in the oats, then add the egg and mix. Stir in the milk. Pull mixture together but do not overwork it. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly spray a 6-hole giant muffin tin with oil. Press the meat mixture into each hole until about three-quarters full. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, heat all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until it looks thick and syrupy. Take and adjust the seasoning. Add a little Worcestershire sauce if it’s too thick.

Take the tin out of the oven and brush each mini meatloaf with a generous layer of glaze. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the tin from the oven and change the oven setting to grill.

Top each meatloaf with lashings of warm mashed potato. Run a knife around the edge to prevent the potato sticking to the edge of the tin. Brush the butter and sprinkle grated cheese over the top, slide under the grill for a couple of minutes until a golden crust forms.