Meatloaf & Potato Pileup

I saw this recipe in an issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray, and then saw her make it on her show one morning. The video on the show's website wasn't available for a little while, but she verbally says that you can use any combination of meat that you want, as well as saying that they gilded the lily by adding the pesto. So, I halved the recipe, using a medium onion, one beet (halving that would've been a pain, and what to do with the rest?), and a pound of ground beef, and completely skipped the pesto. I messed up when reading the instructions for the cheese sauce, so my cheese didn't melt in the way that it should have. And I probably didn't get the beet wrung out well enough, as there was beet juice in the bottom of my casserole dish. It was a significant amount of work and dirtied a lot of dishes! Tasty overall, but probably not one we'll add to regular repertoire (although the boyfriend might have like it better had I gotten the cheese sauce done the right way!), especially considering the amount of work it took.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds baking potatoes, scrubbed and sliced crosswise 1/8-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, quartered, one quarter finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half, warmed
• 6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper
• 2 carrots, peeled and quartered
• 1 small beet, peeled and quartered
• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1/2 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Yields: 8

Preparation

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.

In a large pot filled halfway with boiling, lightly salted water, cook the potatoes for 3 minutes. Drain and spread them out evenly on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to cool.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour for 2 minutes, then pour in half-and-half and bring to a boil, whisking constantly; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Let cool.

Using a food processor, chop the remaining onion and the carrots. Transfer to a bowl. Add the beets to the processor and chop. Transfer to a kitchen towel, wrap and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Whisk the eggs, marinara, breadcrumbs, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into the carrot mixture. Crumble in the turkey, beef and beets, and mix well. Transfer to a 9x13” oval casserole, pressing into an even layer. Top with the potatoes and cheese sauce.

Place the casserole on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are bubbly and top is browned, about 40 minutes. Cover with foil and continue cooking until a meat thermometer placed in the center of the loaf registers 175°F, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Purée basil, EVOO, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve with the meatloaf.