I don°®¶¹app™t usually go in for cutesy food, but my social media feeds the past few weeks have been full of people getting ready for Halloween with candy-this and witchy-that. So I thought, °®¶¹appœWhy not? Just this once.°®¶¹app
Meatloaf is a scary meal for me because of a childhood restaurant trauma that I won°®¶¹app™t gross you out with here, so that°®¶¹app™s where I started.
After a couple monster-adjacent experiments (trust me, wrapping fettuccine around a hunk of meat is harder than you think it would be), I hit on the idea of using strips of cheese to simulate bandages. Because cheeses melt slightly differently, using a selection of white cheese gives you variation in shades and texture. For these Mini Mummy Meatloaves, I used mozzarella string cheese, swiss and aged gouda.
Sliced olives or carrots make eyes for an extra touch, and I served the meatloaves on one-eighth sheet pans in a nod to examination tables. Roasted carrots and purple cauliflower bring in the colors of Halloween for some extra fun. Toss the veggies with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting for 30 to 40 minutes.
You can use your favorite meatloaf recipe, or try mine which also makes excellent meatballs. I used a ground pork and beef mix from the grocery, but pork or beef on their own would work.
If you°®¶¹app™re not into Halloween, leave off the °®¶¹appœeyes°®¶¹app and toss a whole slice of cheese over the loaf. It°®¶¹app™s basically a cheeseburger without the bun.
Mini Mummy Meatloaf
Makes 4 loaves (or 16 meatballs).
2 pounds pork and beef mix
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Olive or carrots, sliced for °®¶¹appœeyes°®¶¹app
2 slices white cheese, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 mozzarella string cheese, pulled into strips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix meat, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and spices, egg and Worcestershire sauce until combined. (I wear food-safe disposable gloves while handling the meat mixture so I don°®¶¹app™t have to scrub my hands so hard afterward.)
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Divide the meat into four portions and form rectangles about 2°®¶¹app‰1/2-inches-by-4-inches. You can make smaller loaves, but adjust your baking time.
Place the loaves on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Remove the baking sheet to your work surface and turn the oven off.
Add two olive or carrot slices to each loaf, then lay strips of cheese over the meat like bandages. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes so the residual heat can melt the cheese. Keep an eye on the cheese °®¶¹app“ if you leave the loaves in too long (or keep the oven on), you°®¶¹app™re probably going to end up with fully melted and combined cheese instead of well-defined bandages.
Still tasty, though!
Recipe Swap is published monthly in °®¶¹app. Corey McMaken is a home cook, not a food expert. To share a comment or favorite recipe for possible inclusion, email cmcmaken@jg.net or write to Corey McMaken, c/o °®¶¹app, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802.
