The iconic slice of meatloaf, nestled next to a mound of mashed potatoes and peas, is ensconced in the American mind as a comfort food ideal.
But that’s never been the case for me. I like my meatloaf best as a sandwich, preferably tucked between slices of buttered toast and shingled with sweet, sliced pickles and sharp raw onions.
I learned this from my mother, who learned it from my grandmother, so it can’t be wrong. Eating meatloaf hot from the oven for dinner is merely its first step toward final glory, which is to be meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day.
Even with this in mind, I was surprised when I came across the meatloaf recipe in Renee Erickson’s latest cookbook, “Sunlight and Breadcrumbs.” The Seattle chef and restaurateur (who owns the Walrus and the Carpenter, among others) not only concurs with my family’s meatloaf practice, but goes a step further. She doesn’t eat it hot at all, but bakes it the day before, as she writes in the recipe headnote, “in anticipation of the most delicious sandwiches, like a low-effort pâté of sorts that shines with soft-centered white bread and a leaf or two of extra-crunchy lettuce.”
I may quibble with her sandwich construction (to me, buttered toast is a must), but I eagerly gave her meatloaf a try.
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It was a lot more intensely flavorful than most meatloaf recipes, with anchovies, garlic, Pecorino Romano cheese and grated orange zest kneaded into the ground meat. The biggest flex was that, instead of glazing the top with ketchup, she uses a combination of tomato purée and dry red wine.
The wine turns out to be key; it increases the juiciness of the finished loaf and adds a fruity acidity that balances its richness. Not only did Ms. Erickson’s recipe make one of the best meatloaf sandwiches I’d ever had, it was even terrific served hot from the oven when the meat is at its most crumbly and tender.