Mixed mince meat loaf

The mixture of pork and beef with a hint of sage in this meatloaf recipe is something quite marvelous. I am a big fan of meatloaf, it’s cheap, makes a great easy dinner and is fantastic on sandwiches. It’s really important to use extra lean mince especially with the pork and to keep it nice and moist either put a bowl of water in the oven when cooking it or put the loaf tin in a roasting pan with some water in it.

What you need

1 small onion grated
1 medium carrot grated
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 heaped teaspoon dry sage)
300g lean pork mince
200g lean beef mince
1/2 cup breadcrumds
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon English mustard (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Oil

The process

Prepare a baking tray or small loaf tin(17cmx11cmx8cm) by smearing it with a little oil and heat your oven to 180 Celsius.

In a pan on a medium heat add the onion and carrot and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until it begins to soften, add the garlic and cook, stirring every 30 seconds or so for another 3 or 4 minutes.

Now add the sage and give it a good mix through and then remove from the pan and place into a large mixing bowl.

Add the pork mince, beef mince, breadcrumbs, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and the mustard if you decide to use it. Now get you hands in there and mix it well to evenly distribute all of the vegetables. Give it a light seasoning with a bit of salt and black pepper and then a final mix.

If you are using a baking tray, place it into the center of the tray and form into a loaf shape or place into your loaf tin and pack it down quite well.

Place in the oven with an oven proof bowl containing about 500ml water.

Bake at 180 Celsius for 45 minutes until the loaf is firm. If you are serving it hot, allow it to cool slightly for about 5-10 minutes before turning out and slicing.

Serve with peas and mash or any of your favourite vegetables.

Here is a more traditional meatloaf recipe with tomato sauce topping.