This is an easy peasy recipe… four ingredients, just a few steps, perfect for busy nights!  What I listed here serves two, so if you’re cooking for more just multiply the recipe accordingly.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Take each potato and cut in half, then in half again, and then again, and keep going until you have your desired thickness of fry.  Toss in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper and make sure each fry is fully coated. Place on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil (if you don’t have nonstick, spray regular foil with cooking spray first) and bake for 35-40 minutes until the fries are golden brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with a bit more salt, then serve immediately.

My first attempt at making meatloaf was an absolute fail, though I believe it was the pan’s fault and not so much the recipe (I think I used Ina Garten’s if memory serves me correctly).  I used one of those silicon loaf pans and it ended up tasting totally synthetic and chemically.  Sadly both the meatloaf and the pan ended up in the bin.  Needless to say, I was hesitant to try again… I mean, who messes up meatloaf?!  It’s like a big meatball which I honestly could do in my sleep!  So embarrassing.  I still maintain that there was something weird with the silicon pan (since then I have replaced any of my silicon bakeware with traditional metal) but it’s never fun when a recipe doesn’t work out how you hoped.

Anyways… I knew I’d have to try again at this American classic, and thankfully I gathered the courage this past weekend because the result this time was fabulous!  I wanted a recipe that wasn’t too fussy (you’d be surprised how intricate some meatloaf recipes are) and after some online perusing decided upon one by Martha Stewart’s mother.

Mrs. Kostyra’s Meatloaf
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 slices white bread, ripped into medium sized pieces
2 pounds organic grass-fed ground beef (you could also use turkey or pork)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large egg
1 cup ketchup
3 scant teaspoons english mustard
3/4 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take the bread and process in the food processor until it turns to crumbs. Transfer to a big bowl and add the beef. Then add the carrots, onion, celery and parsley to the food processor and pulse until it’s finely chopped. Add to the beef mixture and mix well with your hands (if this makes you squeamish you out you can use gloves to lessen the ‘squishy’ factor). Add the egg, 1/2 cup of ketchup, two teaspoons of dry mustard, salt and pepper and mix some more with your hands until everything is fully incorporated. On the side mix the remaining ketchup and mustard, then place the meat mixture into a loaf pan (non silicon!) and spread with the ketchup mixture. Bake for 90 minutes and serve with your choice of potatoes and veggies.