Autumn Meatloaf—It’s What’s for Dinner!

Last week, my husband said that he really wanted meatloaf for dinner. However, we were out of eggs and breadcrumbs. I dig around in the fridge a bit, searching for something to replace the moisture and glue-like nature of the eggs and bread. I ended up with some fruit and vegetables for moisture and a tad of goat cheese for stickiness. This meal is actually a hybrid of local ingredients from the Lehigh Valley and Maine! The apple is from the farmer’s market behind my parents’ rental in Camden, Maine, and the goat cheese was from a farm near Acadia National Park. This meatloaf really offers a taste of autumn.

Autumn Meatloaf

Ingredients:

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (Valley View Farms)
• 2 slices bread (I keep a bag of loaf ends in the freezer)
• 1 small apple (a small farm in Camden, ME)
• 1 small onion (Heritage Farms CSA)
• 5 small carrots (Blue Blaze Farm)
• 2 cloves garlic (Apple Ridge Farm)
• few tablespoons soft cheese (I used tarragon goat cheese from Seal Cove Farm in Maine)
• few sprigs thyme (my garden)
• handful of sage leaves (my garden)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Using a food processor with a grating blade if you have one, grate apple (no need to peel), onion, carrots (also no need to peel)  and garlic together.
3. Add bread and pulse until large crumbs are formed.
4. Place veggie mixture in large bowl with ground beef and mix (using your hands will be easiest).
5. Chop herbs, reserving 6 whole sage leaves.
6. Add soft cheese and herbs and mix thoroughly.
7. Divide mixture in half and form each portion into a loaf.
8. Place in baking dish and top with whole sage leaves.
9. Bake for 45-55 minutes.
   

   Finished Meatloaves (I tossed in some green beans and olive oil around the loaves to roast with dinner)