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All American Meatloaf with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes

Sean Sellers  in Red Wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Blow the Bank, Meat & Poultry , , , , , ,

InterWined Food
Each Friday and sometimes Saturday, InterWined.com pairs one great wine with one great meal and publishes the results along with the recipe in a little feature it likes to call ‘Blow the Bank’.

This week, ‘Blow the Bank’ introduces InterWined’s All American, a month-long celebration of some of American cuisine’s greatest dishes from classic comfort foods to the unsung greats of American soulfood.

First up is All American Meatloaf with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes.

All American MeatloafGround BeefMeatloaf & BaconMeatloaf & Creamy Potatoes

Whether its origins rest, as some varyingly contend, with the mogul invaders of China, Italian meatball-makers, German Hamburgers, British shepherd’s pie-bakers, or the recipe books of eager home-meat-grinder salesmen, there can be little doubt that the humble meatloaf is 100% American and 100% classic.

Just as its histories are numerous, its variations and varieties are both countless and unpredictable. So, while some recipes call for the inclusion of pineapples or scotch eggs — ingredients that would be anathema in others, still others quibble over the significance of using barbeque sauce or ketchup or Bolognese in the name of authenticity and correctness. In the end, like so much confort food, it all comes down to what you like and what you think is right.

Indeed, there is little doubt that many chefs (and many of their mothers) will find InterWined’s All American Meatloaf far from correct. For one, it includes a couple of rather unorthodox ingredients, such as cubed pancetta and stale sourdough bread. For another, it’s topped with streaks of bacon.

And, because one classic deserves another, paired with InterWined’s All American Meatloaf is the 2005 Château Amarande (13.5%) Grand Vin de Bordeaux, £9.79 from Oddbins. A mix of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Amarande has the familiar nose of a classic claret — a bit of eart, spice, and forest. On the tongue, it’s surprisingly soft, rich in fruit, and mildly tannic with a touch of pepper that marries brilliantly with the both the crusty edges of the meatloaf and its slightly fatty, chewy middle (thanks in no small part to the cubes of pancetta). At 13.5%, the wine is a tad too high in alcohol and, therefore, attention-seeking to be a perfect wine to serve with food; but it high-alcohol wines are all the rage these days and this one proves a superb match for the meaty ground beef, fatty pancetta, and crispy bacon all the same: 9.4.

InterWined’s Own Recipe in Full

All American Meatloaf with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
Approx. 440g ground beef
75g cubed pancetta
2 eggs
2-3 thin slices of stale sourdough bread (or any other)
2 slices of streaky bacon
2 teaspoons of cumin
4 teaspoons of cracked pepper
½ jar tomato puree
½ tub (100ml) Crème Fraîche, a French fresh cream somewhere between heavy and soured creams
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven 200°:c
2. In a food processor, crumb the slices of stale sourdough bread and set aside
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground beef, pancetta, breadcrumbs, cumin, 2 teaspoons of pepper, tomato puree, and two eggs
4. Line a bread loaf tin with a sheet of parchment- or greaseproof paper
5. Spoon the meat mixture into the loaf tin, making sure to press the meat compactly with the back of the spoon as you do
6. Lay the slices of bacon across the top, before the third teaspoon of pepper and placing in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the meat appears golden and the bacon dark brown and crispy
7. In a large pot, boil the potatoes
8. Once boiled (approximately 10-15 minutes), remove any remaining water from the pot before adding the Crème Fraîche, the final teaspoon of pepper, and mashing
9. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and the tin; once rested, slice and serve alongside Crème Fraîche mashed potatoes and optional serving of baked beans

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