Meatloaf - by Steve

     I have always loved meatloaf.  My Dad has always been my inspiration for the stuff, he has always made a great one.  Ever since I started cooking seriously, I wanted to recreate the meatloaf he would make.  I've never been able to replicate it, so I made the conscious decision to never try again.  Instead, I would use meatloaf as a test bed, as it were.  I have since done numerous things with it, from stuffing it with prosciutto and cheese to wrapping it in bacon.  This time, since Jody had picked up a pound of hot Italian sausage for me (organic no less) at the Belfast CoOp, I thought how cool it would be to embed a couple links of sausage IN the meatloaf itself.  So, here is the process and the result.  Jody couldn't stop raving about it, so I must have done something right.

Ingredients:

1lb. ground pork

1lb. ground meatloaf blend (something our local market sells, pork, beef, I think veal, etc)

2 links hot Italian sausage

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs, your preference in type

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced small

4-5 oz. spinach, chopped fine

5 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

salt

pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

dry mustard

sage

barbecue sauce for glazing, again your preference in brand

     Preheat your oven to 400.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients, thoroughly mixing with your hands.  Make sure everything is completely integrated together before moving on.  Take a standard bread loaf pan, preferably non stick, and fill it halfway with the mixture, pressing in firmly.  Lay the two sausage links in lengthwise, press them into the meatloaf mix a little bit to get them secure.  Fill with the rest of the meatloaf mix and firmly press into place to completely cover and secure the sausages.  Once your pan is filled and pressed, toss it in the oven for at least 45 minutes.  Check your temp after that, and let it go for another half hour if need be.  I cooked mine to about 145-150 and it was spot on.    Pull, let it sit for five minutes to finish, glaze and cut to serve.  I cut mine right in the pan, but there's no reason you couldn't dump it out and cut it on a board.  I added a little extra barbecue sauce after I served mine and it really sang.