A1 Bleu Cheese Meatloaf and Ranch Potatoes

This is Matt's favorite meatloaf that I make. He insisted that I make it so that I could put it on my blog for all of you. Meatloaf seems to be growing on me the more I play around with it. There are so many flavor combinations you can create. The rich flavors of the A1 and bleu cheese really dress up the flavor of the ground beef. I know that there are some of you that don't like chunks of bleu cheese, but when you cook this meatloaf, the chunks of bleu cheese melt into gooey pockets of cheesy goodness. So, if you enjoy the flavor of bleu cheese, but not chunks of bleu cheese, I still think you will enjoy this. But if you don't think you will like it with the bleu cheese, feel free to leave it out. :) Here's what I did...

-1/2 lb of ground beef (I use 80/20 or 85/15, it makes for a more moist meatloaf.)
-1/2 cup of A1 steak sauce
-2/3 cup of bleu cheese crumbles
-about 1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs (always start with a little less, then you can add more if needed.)
-1 egg, beaten
-3 scallions, chopped (If you don't have scallions, use any other onion you have on hand; shallots, white or red onion will all be good in this. Just make sure to saute it in olive oil until softened, then allow to cool before adding it to the meatloaf.)
-a small handful of flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
-a heavy splash of Worcestershire sauce
a heavy sprinkle of steak seasoning (like Montreal's brand. If you don't have that, just use salt and pepper.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef and season with the Worcestershire sauce and steak seasoning. Add the remaining ingredients. Combine the mixture using your hands until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the ground beef. Shape into a flattened oval and place into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cook for 35-40 minutes. When it's finished, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

As a side dish, I served my Ranch Potatoes. Here's the recipe for those...

-small potatoes, cut in half horizontally (Fingerling or Baby Yukon Gold's. Use as many as you need for your family.)

Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before adding the dressing.

For the dressing:
-1 cup sour cream
-1 scallion, sliced thinly
-1 rounded TBS of chopped flat leaf parsley
-1 rounded TBS chopped fresh dill
-a light sprinkle of celery seed
-the juice from 1/2 of a lemon
-salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a bowl and adjust the seasoning to suit your taste. Add desired amount to the potatoes and stir to combine.

The Ranch Potatoes were a huge hit with us! I really like that I now have a recipe for ranch dressing from scratch! It will be great for a dip or to add into mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or salad. I hope you enjoy these recipes!