Lazing around on this Sunday afternoon, since tomorrow is a holiday for me … Discoverer’s Day, I was thinking about what to make for dinner and I thought of ‘my friend Martha’s’ (Martha Stewart that is…) meatloaf. I love this version of Meat Loaf mainly because of the slices of bacon on top of it, which is then smothered with a sweet glaze! 
Here is what it looked like as I was glazing the top of the bacon covered meat loaf. I don’t think ‘my friend Martha’ would mind me sharing this recipe with all of you.
Martha’s Meat Loaf
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
½ c milk
2 T olive oil
1 lge yellow onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 pound ground sirloin
½ pound ground pork
2 lge eggs
¼ c fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T coarse salt
½ T freshly ground black pepper
½ pound thinly sliced bacon
½ c light brown sugar, packed
1 T Coleman’s dry mustard
1 tsp tomato paste
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the bread into 1†cubes and place in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Place carrots in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and bread mixture, ground sirloin, ground pork, eggs, parsley, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Add onion mixture. Combine well using your hands or a rubber scrapper.
4. Place mixture in a large ungreased baking dish or roasting pan. (I lined my pan with foil) Shape into a 5 x 12 inch loaf. Overlap bacon slices across the top, covering meat.
5. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ground mustard, and 2 T water. Stir in tomato paste, making a glaze. Brush the meat loaf all over with the glaze.
( I used catsup instead of tomato paste and water. Plus I doubled the glaze since I love the taste of this sweet glazed melted on the bacon)
6. Bake , brushing every 15 minutes with glaze, until the juices run clear when loaf is pierced with a two pronged fork and bacon is crisp…. About 1 to 1 ¼ hrs.
Now, meatloaf must be accompanied with mashed potatoes…don’t you think? How comforting is that!? Serve with or without gravy. My home is filled with ‘gravy’ people, so I always have brown gravy in my freezer from a previous dish. When I need to ’stretch’ it …I add a can of chicken or beef broth.
Another plus about meatloaf …. you can make meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day..yummy! Now, thats a “Good Thing”. Thanks, Martha !
lodee Says:
October 9th, 2006 at 2:20 pmVisit lodee
this looks sooooo ono!! i love bacon and i can see why you would like this recipe because of it! just wondering - does the bacon make the meatloaf oily?
Lindy Says:
October 9th, 2006 at 4:53 pmVisit Lindy
Thanks Lodee! Somehow the oil doesn’t get too absorbed by the meatloaf, but it does flavor the glaze as it melts. then you baste the top every so often … to make the bacon sweet too… that’s the best taste of this dish.
Donna Says:
October 10th, 2006 at 8:11 pmVisit Donna
Is there a reason why you line your pan with foil? (I’m still learning!)
This sounds delicious! I’ll have to try it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Pomai Says:
October 11th, 2006 at 5:25 amVisit Pomai
Between a slow-cooked Beef Pot Roast and the meat loaf you’ve presented here, I don’t know which to choose for the perfect Sunday dinner! This is exactly the kind of comfort food we grew up with on lazy Sunday evenings. Beef. Gravy. Mash. Veggies. Can’t get better than that!
Lindy, you sneeky buggah, you left out da’ recipe for ‘dat ono looking gravy! What is it? Common’, you gotta’ share! Da’ gravy is da’ main ‘ting wit’ meat loaf! Onagai Shimasu!
Lindy Says:
October 11th, 2006 at 9:45 pmVisit Lindy
hi pomai .. you’re absolutely right …da gravy is what makes it too. i don’t really have a precise recipe, but whenever i make porkchops or turkey ..i make lots of gravy and keep it in 1 # portion containers for dishes like these. if i need to stretch it ..i add the chicken broth or beef broth.
as a general rule, i take the drippings from the meat and add chicken broth….really! chicken broth is like that magical ingredient like cream of mushroom soup…so many uses! when i fry my pork chops, after i brown them, i add about 2 cups of water and simmer the chops with some chopped onions ..then i soak up the liquid to make my gravy… adding salt and pepper to taste, add a can of mushrooms…etc. sometimes i use this gravy for loco moco
turkey: i cook the turkey neck in pot of water for a long time, adding salt. when drippings generate from the turkey, i add that. i make a lot so i have gravy available for chicken dishes. added plus …the turkey neck becomes sooooo tender and smothered in the gravy …that’s an extra treat
hope that helps … thanks for all your comments! i really enjoy them and your site ! i gotta go to kiawe grill and try their food!!
Pomai Says:
October 12th, 2006 at 6:48 pmVisit Pomai
How about to thicken those gravies? Cornstarch and water or flour? I tried potato starch one time which worked pretty good.
Sometimes I “cheat” and add packaged McCormick Brown Gravy mix according to directions to my scratch gravy for a guaranteed full flavor. I gotta try that Cream of Mushroom Soup idea next time I make brown gravy.
I LOVE mushrooms!
Lindy Says:
October 12th, 2006 at 8:57 pmVisit Lindy
gee pomai …we can go on forever, yeah!!?? i use flour and water for gravies like this and cornstarch for chinese stir fry dishes that i like a little ‘gravy’ or sauce.
cream of mushroom goes well with the dry lipton’s onion soup. to darken gravies, i use ‘kitchen bouquet’
k-den,
me
Pomai Says:
October 13th, 2006 at 12:46 pmVisit Pomai
Yup, go on forever. We’re food-a-holics, what do you expect? lol
Try using Cream of Mushroom Soup instead of just chicken stock and/or water next time you do a Beef Pot Roast. So ono! Like this:
Salt and pepper then sear all sides of beef roast until brown to seal in flavor in a dutch oven. Then add diced onions, carrots and celery (miripoix) and saute until tender. Empty one packet of Lipton dry onion soup mix on top of roast. Pour 2 small cans (or 1 large can) around roast and just a little water, cover it and cook on low heat on stovetop or in oven for about 1-1/2 hours. Add whole, half or thirds cut raw potatoes , carrots and celery. It’s done with the veggies are cooked tender. Serve with rice or mash.
No need make gravy. It’s thick and ready to serve right out the pot! The juices from the pot roast blend with the Cream of Mushroom soup for the ultimate pot roast gravy. So ono!
I learned that from some website I googled a long time ago.
Lindy Says:
October 14th, 2006 at 12:52 amVisit Lindy
i’ve done this too!! i think i made it before websites were available ..hahaha!