Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's Meatloaf for Father's Day

For a long while, I have been meaning to post the recipe for the best meatloaf I have ever made.   It's out of cookbook I picked up at a garage sale a few years back straight out of the 1960s called "365 Ways to Cook Hamburger" by a fellow named Doyne Nickerson.   From my Googling, I found out that the book must have been a great seller for Doubleday, as it went through many printings.    It's amusing to me to wonder if the famed cookbook editor at Doubleday during that era, Judith Jones, championed this cookbook at the same time she was working on Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.   It's a gem of a cookbook that features a photo of a dapper Doyne browning some meatballs while decked out in a shirt and tie in his San Fernando Valley kitchen.    In his intro, he said that he wrote the book for "bachelors, bachelor girls, newlyweds, small families, large families, those who like hamburger, those who are tired of hamburger cooked in the same old way, clubs and church groups".

Should you be looking to cook your burger with an international flair, there's a recipe for Persian meatballs or something called Swedish Kaldomar, which would appear to be some kind of stuffed cabbage.  Want the flavor of New Orleans?  Try Meat Balls Creole. Making a meal for your next scout cookout?  How about Hamburger Soup for Fifty?  The only recipe I have tried thus far from this book is a recipe for meatloaf.  I originally made it for my parents when my mom got too sick with cook and barely would eat anything because the chemo killed her appetite. But she loved this meatloaf and so I made a dozen of them and froze them in throwaway mini loaf pans so her nurse could heat them up in the toaster oven for dinner.  It freezes beautifully, so when making it, I try to double the recipe and freeze one for later.    I'm not sure whose father the title references - maybe it was Mr. Nickerson's dad, but since it's Father's Day, I thought I'd post the recipe finally, with a few of my modifications.   Mr. Nickerson tended to use a lot of MSG in his recipes, but it really isn't necessary.   It was the 1960s, so everyone was doing that.

Father's Meatloaf

2 lbs. hamburger
2 eggs
2 c breadcrumbs
1 c chopped onion (chopped fine)
1/2 c chopped green pepper, chopped fine, or a small can of chopped green chilis, drained
1/4 c milk
2 T horseradish
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t dry mustard

Mix all ingredients together and form into a loaf.   Brush with:

1/4 c chili sauce

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. 

Happy Father's Day!

4 comments:

Tracy's Living Cookbook said...

I love reading vintage cookbooks! This one looks like a lot of fun - Usually the photos are a crack-up too!

Flo said...

Thank You! I bought this book decades ago and gave it away a few years back, but not before cutting out the page with the Father's meatloaf recipe. Somehow I've now lost that page, but was delighted to see that you have posted it. Guess it's meatloaf for dinner tonight!

Cynthia said...

Best meatloaf ever! Glad you like it too

Margaret said...

I also bought this cookbook years ago and it was misplaced during the process of our house being renovated. It's a simple recipe and I once knew it by heart. I'm so glad to find the recipe once again. It's the best meat loaf recipe I've had the pleasure of making.