Plating your Home Style Meatloaf

Shannon Overmiller: Hello, my name is Shannon Overmiller, I am the Executive Chef at The Majestic in Old Town, Alexandria. Today we made Home Style Meatloaf. We demonstrated for you the types of meat to use, when making meatloaf, the method of forming and shaping, seasoning the meatloaf, adding in the ingredients when you mix the meatloaf mixture, the tomato glaze which we prepared with a mixture simply of sugars, vinegars, mustard, ketchup and paste. We also did a whipped potato consisting of Yukon gold potatoes, little nutmeg, salt, butter, heavy cream. Showed you the method of drying out and the consistency that you want for nice whipped potato. Then we also did the meatloaf gravy, and now we will show you the plating of the meatloaf.

Meatloaf has been cooked and it's been resting. The oven is no longer on. You will get definite color, you will get caramalisation on your meatloaf, but that's really -- it's okay, that's what you want, you want a glazed meatloaf. The sugars in this are going to give you color, but let's not burn, you don't want it blackened and burnt, but you will definitely get some color on it. So now I think your meatloaf has been cooked and it's reached the temperature that you want, you can see that it's much more firm in it's texture. So I can tell by feeling it that it's ready.

I also know that when I inserted a fork in at the center and put this on my lip, it's warm -- very warm to touch. So then I know my meatloaf is ready. If you have a thermometer, it should read a 155 to 160 degrees. Just take off one of your meatloaves. You should let it rest a little bit, this is still warm. So it's going to be looser than I would expect to show you. Good knife to use for this actually, I have a pate knife. As I said you before, a pate is also for pork's meat. So any pressed meat, any blend of meats that have been ground up or made fine and then put back together.

Take off your end bits which again, if you do make any sauces or anything, its very good to use this in a sauce. That's your beginning of your meat loaf, do with the thickness that you desire. This is a smaller loaf, so I'll do a little thicker. You see the consistency in your meatloaf now. From the emulsification and the onions, all your herbs and spices and your nice glaze right on top. We've got our slices. See the knife is nice and gentle with the meatloaf, that's what really you want. So that's your meatloaf, tender and juicy and soft and moist, pressed with the nice consistency but not dry and it stays together. That's a good meatloaf, it's a very good meatloaf.

So, now when we plate the meatloaf, simply, nothing fancy. Bring your plates where you want it, take your meatloaf, plate it however you want, however you choose. Again that consistency is just what you want. Now you take your potatoes. Once they seize up and get a little cooler, they will get a little more together. At this stage you can always add a touch more cream just to loosen them a bit and that's right before you plate, because they will seize up on you no matter what, there we go. Take your gravy, some mushroom, all over, wherever you like it. I like it in my mashed potatoes when I am eating at home. That is Home Style Meatloaf I would say, thank you.