oh the many ways

The time between Christmas and New Years television becomes a vast wasteland. While channel surfing one evening, I came across a fairly new episode of America’s Test Kitchen. I love this show as it shows you how they improve the outcomes of recipes or they develop their own, information about the best kitchen gadgets/tools/products/appliances to purchase and does taste testing’s of assorted food items. On this particular night the host, Julia Collin Davison, watched as Becky Hayes prepared Turkey Meatloaf with Brown-Sugar Ketchup Glaze. 
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​My husband is helpful with meal suggestions, however, I felt like trying something different, hence the new meatloaf recipe. I happened to have ground turkey in the freezer as I purchase the three pound pack of Lean Ground Turkey (94% lean, 6% fat) from Wegmans for $8.99.  I had left from other recipes fresh parsley and a tiny bit of fresh thyme. The recipe also calls for Dijon mustard, quick oats, Parmesan cheese, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Other than that, the ingredients are pantry staples. I did have to make one adjustment to the recipe, I only had enough Dijon mustard for one tablespoon and not two as the recipe called for.
 
It does take approximately 30-45 minutes to prep the meatloaf for baking. I did learn a quick tip from this recipe, adding a bit of baking soda when sautéing finely chopped onions promotes quicker cooking. Swapping oatmeal for breadcrumbs also made for a lighter texture. Once I placed the meatloaf in the oven it took approximately an hour to reach an internal temperature of160°.
 
To go along with the meatloaf I felt like Parmesan Grits. I had them last weekend at Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park. On my recent trip to Charleston I picked up some Geechie Boy grits and I had Parmesan cheese. I found a recipe at seriouseats.com for Creamy Parmesan Grits by Chef Sarah Simmons. You make a thickened sauce of flour and milk to which you add the grated Parmesan cheese. Once your grits are cooked you whisk the two together and season with salt and pepper to taste…yum!
 
The meatloaf was moist and tasty and the brown-sugar ketchup glaze gave it a bit of tang and a sweetness which was a wonderful contrast. Even a couple of days later, the meatloaf reheated beautifully for a second meal. It’s a little more work than you’re probably use to for a meatloaf. Two pounds of ground turkey will feed 4-6 people. If you double the recipe you’ll have enough for a second supper or a great cold meatloaf sandwich for lunch.