Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Turkey Meatloaf - kind of a flop...

I am not a chef.  Let's be clear about that.  I like to cook and I think I'm pretty good at it, but I have no formal training.  So things are bound to go wrong.  Turkey meatloaf in itself sounds like a risk.  Turkey = Dry; Meatloaf = yuck.  But the reviews on epicurious.com were all pretty encouraging. 

This dinner wasn't terrible by any means.  We didn't have to order pizza and Jeff even went back for seconds.  The turkey was very moist, the mushrooms added good texture, and it was REALLY easy to prepare - about 15 minutes not including baking.  It just didn't have anything special in the taste department.  And now I'm left with the difficult decision of scrapping it all together, or trying again and possibly failing again.

Overall, the main problem was that it just needed "more."  More spice, more flavor, and a touch of acid.  But I'm not sure what specifically to add.  Lemon zest?  Capers?  I can't find either of those things locally...

Also it wasn't very pretty... which is why there is no picture.  Instead, enjoy a picture of the lovely local WI adult beverage we had with dinner:



DELICIOUS!!

So, I am up for any and all suggestions on how to make this better.  Please leave suggestions in the comments.  If I get one suggestion, I promise to re-make the recipe giving that suggestion a try.  If I get two suggestions, I will be crazy excited, and will try to try both of them, or combine them into one mega suggestion.  If I get more than two comments I will probably pee myself.

Turkey Meatloaf with Mushrooms:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
  • 2 cups 1/3-inch cubes crustless day-old bread
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup minced chives
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground turkey breast
Preheat oven to 350.  Brush 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2/13 loaf pan with olive oil.

Toss bread with milk and wine in a large bowl.  Let stand until liquid is absorbed and bread softens - about 10 minutes.  Mix in all other ingredients except turkey.  Add turkey and mix until just blended.

Transfer to pan.  Bake for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until cooked through.  Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

1 comment:

  1. 1/3 of the way towards you peeing yourself. :)

    ReplyDelete