Meatloaf Heartwarming, Carnivorous Joy To Come Home To

I scream, you scream, we all scream for meatloaf.

Well, we do in winter, anyway.

After trudging home through sleet or snow, it is heartwarming to be greeted by a savory slice of pure carnivorous joy.

Sure, you can find updated variations like turkey loaf, chicken loaf, even pink seafood mousse loaf (puh-lease!), but it is meaty meatloaf we are here to talk about today.

And mashed potatoes, of course.

“Everybody loves meatloaf,” says Melanie Barnard, author of a cookbook by the same name. She recommends a combination of meats for the perfect loaf: About two parts ground beef to one part each pork (for juiciness) and veal (for delicacy). Some supermarkets sell this triumvirate premixed in the meat department.

“A meatloaf is only as good as the ingredients you put in it,” Barnard adds. She prefers fresh herbs, and when she adds vegetables she usually sautes them first.

To ensure juiciness, cooks generally add a liquid, like ketchup or barbecue sauce. But applesauce, milk and even beer can also do the trick, depending on the recipe.

Most meatloaves also contain some type of starch, be it bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, oatmeal or even rice. A binder - usually an egg - keeps the elements together.

After that, it’s up to you. It’s easy to invent a meatloaf. Just think of the flavors you like with meat, and mix them in.

“I like a mixture of different meats with cumin, tomato sauce and corn niblets,” says Barry Bluestein, coauthor with Kevin Morrissey of “The Bountiful Kitchen” (Penguin Studio).

“I made a good one last week,” says Michael Esposito of Esposito’s Meat Shop in Manhattan. “I took beef and pork and chopped up onions and green pepper and I put in two beaten eggs.”

No bread crumbs?

“I own a meat store.”

Even if a meatloaf is half sawdust, “It will taste pretty darn good if the mashed potatoes are buttery,” says Michael Stern, co-author with wife Jane of “Eat Your Way Across the USA” (Broadway Books). Yukon Golds, he adds, make the best mashers.

Some other tips:

Do not overmix! Use your hands to blend the ingredients as gently as possible. Pat lightly into shape.

One and a half pounds of uncooked meat will serve six people. Barnard’s basic blend is pound chuck to 6 ounces each of ground pork and veal. To this, she adds about a cup of fresh, dried bread crumbs.

Do not use the leanest meat. Ground beef with about 20 percent fat, like chuck, works best. Anything else could end up too dry.

Let your meatloaf stand under a loose tent of foil for about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven and it will be easier to slice.

Bacon and Double Cheeseburger Loaf

Adapted from “Everybody Loves Meatloaf,” by Melanie Barnard (Harper Perennial).

4 slices bacon

1-1/2 pounds lean ground chuck or ground round

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon regular or low-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

2 teaspoons dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is limp and some of the fat is rendered, 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to gently but thoroughly mix together the meat, bread crumbs, 1/3 of the cheese, onion, mayo, relish, mustard, salt, pepper and egg. Pat the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking pan. Spread the top of the loaf with the ketchup, then lay the bacon strips over the ketchup.

Bake until loaf is firm and the bacon is crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. About 10 minutes before meatloaf is done, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. When done, the meat’s internal temperature should be 155 degrees. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Yield: 6 servings.

Note: For leftovers, reheat slices of meatloaf in a microwave oven and serve on sesame buns with lettuce, tomato and ketchup.

Ripe Olive Beef Loaf

Adapted from “Meat and Other Loaves,” by Jeanette P. Egan (Berkeley Publishing Group).

1 pound ground beef

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup sliced ripe olives

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer to pan.

Bake 40 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted in center reads 165 degrees. Let stand in pan 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.