Good Ole' Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

Courtesy of Plated Perfection (and my Mom)

You've probably noticed that I was blessed with great women cooking great food all of my life! I've posted a few of my Mom's recipes that were some of my favorites as a kid (and as an adult). This meatloaf is another one of hers :) And yes, I got her permission to post it! I must say, the best part about this dish is the sauce that goes with it. I could put it on many things, and I actually put it on stuffed peppers, whenever I make those. But back to the point, this recipe is for the meatloaf and the delicious sauce that goes with it. What goes best with meatloaf? Mashed potatoes! These are my own recipe, but I top them with Mom's sauce :) I highly recommend it.

Meatloaf + Sauce
1.5 pounds ground beef (I used 85/15 but will probably go with something leaner next time)
1/2 diced green pepper
1/2 diced red pepper
1 small onion
1 egg
8 oz. tomato sauce (you'll use half in the meatloaf, half for the sauce)
1 tsp salt and dash of pepper
2 slices bread (crumbs) or 3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup water
2 tb vinegar
2 tb mustard
4 tb brown sugar
3 tb tomato paste (optional -- something I added to thicken the sauce a bit)

In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, pepper, red peppers, green peppers, onion, egg, half the can of tomato sauce, and the bread crumbs/oatmeal. If using bread, pulse the slices in a food processor to get good sized bread crumbs. Mold the mixture into a greased loaf pan (ideally). Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Top with some of the sauce (recipe below) and bake an additional 15 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine the rest of the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and serve on top of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes (recipe below).

Mashed Potatoes

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tb butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt and pepper
2-3 tb fresh chives

Boil the potatoes for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Combine the butter, sour cream, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Either blend in a mixer until smooth or mash until you reach your desired consistency. Top with chives and the meatloaf sauce!