Grandma Barbara made meat loaf at least once a week, using a recipe from an enormous cookbook that had been missing its cover since forever. It was one of the first meals I made for myself when I moved to New York City. The only problem was that my roommate, Brandon, didn’t eat red meat, so I’d always have a ridiculous amount of leftovers. I learned to not mind, because what better way to use up extras than in a meat loaf sandwich? Nowadays I eat the sandwiches with my homemade tomato jam, but store-bought ketchup is delicious, too.
• ON-DEMAND: Listen to Faith and Justin describe this recipe as well as alternate uses for the jam on The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze®. •
Oven-Roasted Tomato Jam (Makes 1-1/2 cups)
Ketchup most certainly has a place in every kitchen, but I love tomato jam even more, for a couple of reasons: It’s not as sweet and it’s a cinch to make in the oven. I flavor my basic jam with just some red wine vinegar and spicy red pepper flakes, though sometimes I add fennel or mustard seeds to boost the flavor and lend a little more texture. As you’ll see, it’s easy to customize the recipe to your own tastes.
2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a 9 by 13-inch ceramic baking dish, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Roast, stirring two or three times, for about 1 hour, until the tomatoes break down and are coated in a light syrup.
Using a potato masher or fork, smash the tomato mixture into a coarse paste. Let the jam cool completely, then transfer to a 1-pint glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until chilled.
The tomato jam can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
— Justin Chapple
Excerpted from JUST COOK IT! © 2018 by Justin Chapple. Photography © 2018 by David Malosh. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 20 minutes |
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Here's a tip: The bacon helps prevent the meat loaf from drying out on top. If you’d rather skip it, just spread some ketchup all over the outside before baking.
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- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
- 8 bacon slices,
- mayonnaise for spreading
- 8 slices white country bread, toasted
- Oven-Roasted Tomato Jam (see recipe above)
- Lettuce, arugula, or watercress, for topping
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
- Add the eggs, bread crumbs, milk, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to the onion mixture and mix well. Add the ground beef and mix well. Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and, using damp hands, shape it into a 10 by 5-inch loaf. Drape the bacon slices over the meat loaf on an angle, gently tucking the ends of each slice under the meat loaf.
- Bake the meat loaf for about 1 hour 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°F. Let the meat loaf stand for 10 minutes, then cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices.
- Spread mayonnaise on each slice of toast. Put a slice of meat loaf on 4 of the toasts. Top with the tomato jam and lettuce. Close the sandwiches and serve right away.
DO IT AHEAD The meat loaf can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a preheated 350°F oven before serving.
