Quick and Easy Meat Loaf Recipe with Hash-browns and Corn

"Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beetloaf.  I hate meatloaf." is not a phrase I have ever heard in my home except when one of the all time best Christmas movies is playing:  A Christmas Story.  We love meatloaf.  We love eating it fresh from the oven.  We love it the next day.  We love it in sandwiches.

I have a wonderful and easy recipe.  It does use a box of stuffing, but I purchase mine on sale around Thanksgiving and buy enough to last me the year.  Last year I was able to buy boxes of Stove Top for only 50 cents each.  I think I purchased 20 of them! 

When we have meatloaf I always have a side of potatoes and corn.  I don't know why, but that is always what I make.  This time instead of baked or mashed potatoes I decided to make hash-browns   I think this may be our new favorite way to eat leftover baked potatoes.  Meatloaf night is always a good meal, but this time it was extra tasty.   

Meatloaf Ingredients:

2 lbs Hamburger

2 Eggs

1/2-1 Onion Diced

1 Box Stuffing

1/4-1/2 C. Barbecue Sauce

1/2 C. Water (if using extremely lean hamburger)

I let my mixer do all the work.  Place all the ingredients into the bowl and use your dough hook to "knead" them together.  Much better than getting your hands all messy.

Once your meatloaf concoction is all mixed together, press firmly into a loaf pan and top with more barbecue sauce.  I love Sweet Baby Rays, but even the cheapest barbecue sauce will taste just fine.

Bake at 350 for over an hour.  I usually place a pan on the rack under the loaf pan to catch any grease or you could line the bottom of your oven with tinfoil.  This way you won't have a huge mess to clean up in your oven.  I can't believe my thermometer says over 200 degrees as the meatloaf was not burnt or dry.  I think I may need to purchase a new and, more importantly, reliable thermometer!

Hash-browns

I had quite a few potatoes that were beginning to sprout and so I baked them.  The next day I decided to make hash-browns with some of them.

First, I pealed the cold potatoes and then grated them with my hand-held cheese grater.  I know many people leave the peelings on the potatoes and grate, but I prefer my hash-browns without the peelings.

I melted butter in my cast iron skillet and added salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Then I added the shredded potatoes and seasoned the top.  I let them fry for quite a while - probably 5-8 minutes or so and then turned them to cook on the other side.  

I have never been able to make my hash-browns like those in restaurants.  I  think my main problem is I am too impatient and hate to wait for them to completely cook on one side, but my family has never complained and they always taste so yummy.

Corn

I also steamed some frozen corn.  When done I added a bit of butter and salt and pepper.

And here is our meal ready to be eaten.  Yummy.  

After writing about this recipe I may be making meatloaf again quite soon.  Not only quick and easy prepare, but a family favorite too.  Always a winner!