Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes

Happy belated April Fool’s Day! It was the 1st April yesterday. Were you the one who pulled the prank, or did you get pranked on? I usually belong to the latter; I’m just not good at playing pranks. However, I had a little success yesterday with my little April Fool’s Day joke –  Meatloaf Cupcakes.

The theme for the cookbook challenge this fortnight is ‘Celebration’. Since it was April Fool’s Day , I thought it would be fun to make something to celebrate this day. Lately, I have stumbled upon several meatloaf cupcake recipes, and I thought this idea is perfect for April Fool’s Day. I was looking for a meat loaf recipe to try, and while flipping through my collection of torn-out magazine recipes, I chanced upon a meat loaf and mashed potatoes recipe published by Shape Magazine some time back. This recipe caught my attention almost immediately. I simply like how healthier ingredients are incorporated into this recipe to lighten it up.

I followed the recipe as closely as I could, but made some minor changes by adding mushrooms, using less meat. I also made an egg-free version for myself by using tofu puree. The original recipe used a loaf pan, but I decided to have a little more fun in the kitchen by using muffin tins, and then piping some mashed potatoes on top of it. And this was what I got. 

Does it look like a cupcake to you? It's actually meat loaf topped with mashed potatoes. My brother fell for this initially. It was only when he picked up the ‘cupcake’ that he realized that it wasn’t a ‘cupcake’ after all. I have to admit that I’m not very skilled in decorating cupcakes, and the not-so-pretty frosting must have gave it away. We had a good laugh when my  brother commented that the ‘frosting’ looked a little like turd.

Looks aside, both versions were well-received by my family. I had a small bite of the ones made with egg, and it was certainly tastier than the ones made with the tofu puree. It is certainly not the best meat loaf that I have had, but considering how it is packed with veggie-goodness, I will certainly be making it again. Perhaps with a meat loaf pan next time.

Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Shape Magazine, September 2009 Issue
Serves 4

Ingredients
For Meat Loaf
1/4 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 cup each carrots, red capsicum, celery, onion (finely diced)
1/2 cup white button mushrooms, finely diced (optional)
300g lean ground beef
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup pureed tofu)
1 cup cooked brown lentils
2 cups packed cooked spinach leaves, chopped
Salt & ground black pepper (to taste)
Cooking spray

For Mashed Potatoes
4 large potatoes, quartered
1tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & ground black pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F.
2. To make potatoes, fill a large saucepan with water. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 30 mins or until fork-tender. When it is ready, drain well and place it in a large bowl. Remove the skin with your hands (be careful, it’ll be hot). Mash the potatoes with a fork, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. If you prefer smoother mashed potatoes, push the mashed potatoes through a sieve using a spoon.
3. Make the meatloaf while waiting for the potatoes to cook. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 2 mins; add the rest of the uncooked vegetables, and sauté for another  4 mins. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In a large bowl, break up beef with your hands. Stir in cooked vegetables, parmesan, broth and egg (or tofu). Add lentils and mix. Add spinach and mix again. Season again with salt and pepper. 
5. Coat a 8cm by 20 cm loaf pan with cooking spray. Alternatively, in my case, coat muffin tins with cooking spray (this should yield about 12 muffins). If you are using a loaf pan, place meat mixture in pan and push down. If you are using a muffin tin, roll a palm-sized amount of mixture into balls, and place it in each muffin tin section.
6. Bake for 35 mins or until internal temperate reaches 60C / 140F.
7. Let the meat loaf rest in pan/tin for 15 mins. If you are using a pan, slice then serve with potatoes topped with parsley. If you are using a muffin tin, remove from tin, pipe the mashed potatoes onto it and serve it a muffin case. Enjoy!

Cook's Note
If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your chicken broth is gluten-free.

Do check out my fellow Cookbook Challengers' entries here.