Paleo sage & cranberry meatloaf

BRINGING BACK THE MEAT LOAF!

When you hear ‘meatloaf’ do you think of bland, dry, grey meat and cafeterias? Yeah, I know, meatloaf tends to have a bad reputation, but I’m here now, to change all that.

Owning a meat grinder will inspire you to be creative with mince. It’s a great chance to use some of the more economical cuts that are often even more delicious - minus the preservatives, and minus the packaging. You also get wonderfully rich flavours by combining two complimentary types of meat. With fresh sage, cranberries and a roasting sauce, this meatloaf oozes festive flavour and juices. And it’s all wrapped up like a present in prosciutto resulting in a lovely, crunchy crust. It’s wholesome comfort food to feed a tribe and it’s easy! In fact, I’m so convinced of this meatloaf’s awesomeness that I’m forecasting a meatloaf revival, even at Christmas.

INGREDIENTS

The meatloaf
600 grams pork shoulder
600 grams chuck or rump steak
1 tablespoon of butter, olive oil or ghee + extra to grease the roasting dish
1 onion finely chopped
2 medium sized carrots grated
4 cloves of garlic crushed
3/4 cup ground almond
Zest 1 orange
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preservative free)
1 large egg, beaten
Small bunch fresh sage leaves
1 small sprig of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cranberry’s (sugar and preservative free)
10 slices of prosciutto

The roasting pan sauce
1 onion quartered
3/4 cup good quality broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup cranberry’s (sugar and preservative free)
3 sprigs of rosemary

Method

1.  Dice the beef and pork into 5 cm square pieces and combine on a plate in the freezer for 30 minutes to snap cold.
2.  Set up the meat grinder and insert the medium cutting blade.
3.  Heat the butter, olive oil or ghee in a small pan and cook the onion on a low heat with the lid on for 10 minutes or until soft and caramelised. Stir once to avoid sticking and when it’s done, set aside to cool.
4.  While the onion is cooking prepare all the meatloaf ingredients.
5.  Finely chop approx. 10 large sage leaves and 1 sprig of rosemary and leave the rest whole to add to the roasting pan sauce.
6.  Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 356ºF

7.  Take the meat from freezer, turn it out onto the tray and grind into a large bowl. TIP – to get the last of the meat from inside the grinder, simply feed one slice of your favourite GF or Paleo bread into the grinder. You can allow the bread to blend into the mix or remove the bowl before it lands.
8.  Add all the other meatloaf ingredients (except the prosciutto) to the bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands to combine all the flavours.
9.  Grease the base of a large roasting dish.
10.  Shape the ground meat into a log in the centre.
11.  Lay strips of prosciutto across the meat loaf, pressing it gently into the surface to stick and tucking it under the base.
12.  Scatter pieces of quartered onion around the edge.
13.  Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
14.  When it’s done, take the meatloaf out of the oven and discard the foil.

15.  Mix the broth, orange juice, tomato paste and honey in a jug then pour into the pan around the meatloaf. Scatter with the reserved herbs and cranberry’s, then return to the oven for a final 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Take the pan out of the oven mid-way to spoon the sauce over the meatloaf.
16.  Serve hot with plenty of the pan sauce, baked onion and cranberries.

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