What a weekend.
It was cold and rainy, like I mean REALLY rainy. So I wanted comfort food this weekend. Looking through the freezer to see what I had on hand, I discovered some ground meat. Though I was sore tempted to make some delicious meatballs or, even better, burgers, I went with something down home and super comfort. Meatloaf. But you can’t have meatloaf without mashed potatoes and gravy, oh and I guess you can throw some veggies in there too…

METHOD

1. Preheat your grill to high. Lightly grease a 10-inch cast-iron frying pan.
2. In a large bowl, throughly combine the ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, eggs, onion, garlic, cheese, herbs, and spices. Turn the meatloaf into the greased pan and press firmly.
3. Place the pan onto the grill and close the lid, baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F. Top with some of the cheese if there is any remaining. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Serve with BBQ gravy, garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes, and some veggies.

BBQ Gravy

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sized saucepan. Sauté the onions and cgarlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are tender.
2. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes being careful not to burn the flour.
3. Add the beef stock/veggie water ½ cup at a time. Stirring constantly until it is smooth and thickened. Stir in the BBQ sauce, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Strain and adjust the seasoning before serving.

If you’re not serving many people with this recipe and want to have a make-ahead meal, you can always divide the meatloaf into greased muffin tins instead of using the skillet or a loaf pan before grill-baking.

Try hiding something in the middle of each mini-loaf, like cheese or vegetables.

Comfort food is never a miss in my house. Especially on cold and wet days. As an added bonus the gravy just tied everything together. No more ketchup or BBQ sauce for us.

What is your favourite comfort food on a cold, wet fall day?

Happy Grilling!