Ed’s Mother’s Meatloaf
It wasn’t until my first visit to the States, in my early 20s, that I first ate meatloaf. It took me many years to get over it. But a couple of decades or so later, I ate this meatloaf, cooked for me by agent and friend, the late, great Ed Victor according to his mother’s recipe, and it was love. I knew I had to have the recipe. And although I did get my hands on it and, indeed, it appeared in my 2010 book, Kitchen, it is only now that it has found its way to nigella.com. It is a bit of a process to make, I don’t deny, but it is so worth it. Make it on a day when you’re not racing against the clock, and you can potter about in the kitchen, actually enjoying every step. It’s not as if it’s difficult to make, but it is time-consuming. And while this makes a large meatloaf which can happily feed 8-10, I make it even when there are just the three of us at home to eat it, as leftover meatloaf — cold, not reheated — makes for some of the best sandwiches in the world. In an ideal world, it should come with mash for its first time out, and you may well consider gravy essential. I don’t, and am perfectly content just to have the juices that drip from the meatloaf as it cooks; use a high-sided baking tin and you will end up with more of these gorgeous pan drippings. These may be too fatty for some tastes, so feel free to remove some of the fat from the pan, and then heat what remains with a splosh of red vermouth and some beef stock. If you want a thicker gravy, just stir a little flour into the pan juices before adding any liquid.
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