Animals wrapped in other animals: Meatloaf wrapped in duck bacon.

My friend Jason, aware of my lack of pork consumption recently turned me on to duck bacon, much like turkey bacon but actually delicious. If you're like me and think that anything with duck fat is delicious, you will love this recipe. This is more decadent than your average meatloaf, so I made a nice accompaniment that balances the richness of the meatloaf.

Duck Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef (93% lean)
1 large onion minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 medium carrot minced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the over to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix the ground beef, eggs, onion, carrot, garlic, milk, Worcestershire sauce, milk, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder until combined. Set aside. In a loaf pan layer the duck bacon on the bottom and sides of the pan.



Add the meatloaf mixture and spread evenly. Cover the top with remaining bacon.



*Note I ran out of duck bacon so I had to use turkey bacon...bummer.

Place the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour. After one hour, the loaf will have shrunk away from the sides of the pan and a large amount of duck fat will have accumulated. DO NOT THROW THIS OUT. Carefully, pour the excess duck fat into a bowl and set aside. Put a baking rack upside down over the top of the meat loaf and flip it over much like you would a cooled cake. Place the rack with the meatloaf on top of the loaf pan. This way the the underside of duck bacon is exposed and can brown in the oven, while the loaf pan catches any more drippings. Place back in the oven for 40 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pot add the duck fat and drippings and chicken broth. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. In a bowl mix together the flour and water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and cover. That's gravy.

When the meatloaf has finished cooking remove it from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.







The recession has forced people to be more economical and stretch their budgets when it comes to food and while this meatloaf is clearly not a reflection of that, the accompaniment is. True or false, you can eat broccoli stems? True, and they're delicious when you pickle them.

for the the pickled broccoli stems:

3 cups broccoli stems
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 fresh chili pepper sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using a sharp knife, peel away the fibrous skin of the broccoli.






Then cut the pale inside trunk into matchstick-size batons. Blanch for one minute in boiling water, drain and cool under cold running water.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients, pour over the broccoli stems in a large bowl, toss and chill. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Serve the meatloaf with the gravy and some of the pickles on the side. The pickles match the meatloaf perfectly. The acidity and brightness of the pickles goes well with the richness of the meatloaf. Enjoy.