But meatloaf has gone upscale in the past few years. It's made of buffalo, it's made of veal, it's made of beef and pork, and the ingredients can be as diverse as horseradish, basil, walnuts and Japanese bread crumbs. "One of the reasons people have it on the menu is because it's food people feel good about," says restaurant consultant John Imbergamo. "It's not about the ingredients and preparation, it's about having a little fun."
After I saw Andre Haston, culinary director for Champps Entertainment, making his unique meatloaf one afternoon last week on TV, I asked him and several others for their best tips on making meatloaf.
Stephen Gjevre, general manager of Rocky Mountain Diner and a former chef there, says the diner cooks its buffalo meatloaf uncovered. "It will be crusty on top, but that's a good thing. Once in a while, someone asks for the end cut, which tells me they like it crusty."
Haston of Champps advises being creative in your choice of filler. Instead of bread crumbs, he'll sometimes use sour cream-and-onion potato chips (smash them by rolling a rolling pin across them). He wraps his meatloaf in parchment paper (baking paper that is available at specialty stores and some groceries) instead of putting it in a pan. "Otherwise it's like boiling it," he says.
"The parchment paper allows the steam to escape and it cooks it more evenly and it maintains the moisture. Put it in a log shape and make the first roll and get it in a round circle about five inches across. Tuck ends in, so they're square. Otherwise, ends will cook too fast and burn."
In making the Champps meatloaf, he said, "I wanted to look for flavor, so I added a little Italian seasoned ground pork; I liked fresh garlic instead of granulated garlic, and I put in parsley to draw (away) the acidity of the horseradish and chile sauce."
Goose Sorensen of Mel's restaurant in Denver, advises making sure you have enough binder in the meatloaf to give it good shape. You need a balance between the eggs, the binder and the amount of meat. Sorensen likes to toast the oatmeal lightly in the oven before he adds it, which gives the meatloaf a nutty flavor. His recipe is basically foolproof. "You can change it any way you want and it always comes out."
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