Back in the day, diners and some restaurants had what they called blue plate specials. For all you youngsters out there me included, blue plate special is a term that was used in the early part of the twentieth century to describe a low-priced daily special that typically included the entire meal. None of this nonsense about ordering the entree and paying for a side separately. How ridiculous!
As you can see from the menu at Ari's Diner (no idea location of Ari's), Monday's special happens to be Meatloaf a dish which was a very popular choice at diners when I was growing up. Even today, meatloaf and mashed potatoes remain a beloved comfort food for many. Before Jake’s Good Eats (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) was torn down to make way for a Publix here in Charlotte, one of its specials was meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
My Mother was obsessed with meatloaf. She would make it once a week using a different recipe or one, she made up in her head. Each recipe was worse than the other and finally my father told her to stop making meatloaf.
A little back story here. My Father loved my mother more than anyone on the planet. He basically ate anything she made. They rarely if ever argued, a miracle in itself. However, one day, with firm yet diplomatic honesty, he gently asked her to take a break from making meatloaf. For him to actually request that she not make it again, it must have been truly bad. I can attest to that. it was. My mom took a break for a while, but she went back to her meatloaf mission, and in later years her meatloaf actually was edible.
These were examples of meatloaf recipes my mom made:
Meatloaf with hardboiled eggs
Meatloaf with cheese
Meatloaf with tomato sauce
Meatloaf with brown gravy
With the exception of meatloaf with whole hard-boiled eggs, we always had high hopes that each variation would turn out well. Unfortunately, the ground beef portion often ended up hard and tasteless—but I have to give her high marks for effort
My Mom passed away in 2016 but I felt her quest for a decent meatloaf recipe should live on so I now carry the torch. I figured since I am now semi-retired, I have the time. I found this recipe which I made, and I got a thumbs up from the family when I served it. I did make a slight change. I started with a layer of the ground seasoned beef, added a layer of Swiss (grated or sliced), then spread the mushroom mix on the cheese. I repeated this one more time ending with ground beef. You can just make it as written if you want to keep it simple. Here is the recipe.
Mushroom Swiss Cheese
Meatloaf
Hearty Meatloaf with
Savory Mushrooms and Melty Swiss Cheese
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup mushrooms, finely
chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely
chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Swiss cheese,
grated
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
(for garnish)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F
(175°C).
In a skillet, sauté the
chopped mushrooms, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the onions are
translucent and the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 5-7 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl,
combine the ground beef, sautéed mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, grated Swiss
cheese, milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix until
just combined; avoid overmixing for a tender loaf.
Transfer the meat
mixture to a loaf pan, shaping it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-65
minutes, or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (70°C).
Let the meatloaf rest
for about 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Prep Time: 15 minutes |
Cooking Time: 65 minutes | Total Time: 80 minutes
Susan's Blue plate Special
If you make this recipe let me know how you like it.
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