Company Meat Loaf (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound ground veil

6 saltine crackers, crushed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup snipped parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire suce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Dash of garlic powder

Topping:

1/4 cup catsup

3 to 4 slices bacon, slightly cooked

Vegetables:

16 to 24 small red potatoes

1 green sweet pepper, sliced

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To make the meat loaf: Combine the beef, veal, crackers, eggs, onions, milk, parsley, celery, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Add more milk if texture is too stiff.

3. To shape the loaf: Pat meat mixture into an 8x4-inch baking dish, then invert into a shallow baking dish.

4. To make the topping: Cover the top of the meat with the catsup and the bacon slices.

5. To make the vegetables: Surround the meat loaf with the whole potatoes.  Cover with foil.  Bake in the 325° oven for 1 hour.

6. Uncover; carefully spoon off the drippings in the pan.  Add the green sweet pepper on top of the potatoes.  Bake in the 325° oven, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the meat and potatoes are done.

7. To serve, arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter.

Tips:

Using lean ground beef and precooking the bacon help to lower the fat content in this meat loaf.

To keep the skin on the new potatoes looking pretty, cut a wide strip around the middle of each potato with a sharp knife.