Meatloaf and Potatoes

Saturday 7 December

We didn't even go out to Findlay Market today - not so much because of the snow, but because we had enough provisions not to need to.  Instead Holt baked bread; Barbara boiled up some smoked duck and quail bones with just parsley, sage and white peppercorns to make fragrant broth; and a pound of ground beef and another of Charles Bare sausage meat defrosted themselves for destination: meatloaf. 

We tweaked this recipe by using half cracker, half white bread crumbs; scanting the salt, as we were using sausage meat instead of plain ground pork; and adding only a Tbsp. of ketchup, which made it drier, less crumbly, and very close to perfection.  Maybe a Tbsp. more of wheat bran next time will do the trick.  No need to baste it with ketchup, but we did surround it on the tray with oiled, salted steak-cut potato slices, and everything was ready all at once.

It's not just that dinner was scrumptious, but the house smelled of smoked duck broth, fresh bread, and meatloaf, i.e., amazing.