Meatloaf....

Big B was going to make me sausage rolls for dinner tonight, but as usual got busy at work… Poor thing, he got home at 9.30. I decided to make a meatloaf with the sausage meat.. As it was cooking, it smelled really good but was a little too salty when we ate it. I guess its because we don’t get the best pork in Dubai. Thats my excuse anyways! It was a really easy meal to put together with mashed potatoes and onion gravy. I cheated on the onion gravy and used Bisto because I don’t really have the patience to make jus or brown gravy. It tasted just fine.

I've never made meatloaf before so, again, I went through the Gary Rhode’s cookbook. However, my version of the meatloaf is an adaptation of his recipe. I would say it was a pretty good attempt if not for the saltiness. The meatloaf tasted perfect the next day for lunch.

Here’s recipe:

Sausage Meatloaf

500g pork sausage meat
500g ground beef
100g bacon, chopped
2 onion, minced or finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg, beaten
Pinch of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground marjoram or thyme
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 green pepper, minced or chopped finely
1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup breadcrumbs
Butter, melted
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 180deg C / 350deg F

Brown the bacon, onion and garlic in a pan till translucent.

Mix all the ingredients together, except butter, with the meats. Season and add Worcestershire sauce for flavor.

Press mix into a loaf tin evenly. Brush with a little more ketchup and melted butter and bake in preheated over for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Once cooked, the loaf will have come away from the sides of the tin.

Leave to stand for 10-15 mins before turning out.


Onion Gravy
3 onion or 6 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon brown sugar
A knob of butter
2 tablespoons Bisto
Water for the Bisto

If you are one of those patient people, then use the brown gravy instead Bisto. Hats off to you!

Cook the onions to a golden brown in a knob of butter. Add the brown sugar and cook for another few minutes. Adjust the onions for sweetness by adding more brown sugar. Then, add a few drops of water and Bisto and cook for about 8-10 minutes. I also added the juices from the meatloaf in the gravy.

The caramelized onions were sweet and delish in the gravy. The flavour is fantastic. Big B is not a fan of onions in his mouth so he just picked them out when he served himself. If you are one of those people who don't like onions, just strain the gravy before serving.

Serve meatloaf with mashed potatoes, onion gravy poured on top.. Tadaaaaaaaaaa…