Meatloaf With Saganaki And Roasted Capsicum

Name: Meatloaf With Saganaki And Roasted Capsicum
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 red onion; 15 parsley stalks, with ends removed; 2 tbs pepper paste or tomato paste; 1 ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp black pepper; ½ tsp cinnamon; 1 tbs dried mint; 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbs red vinegar, or you can use lemon juice; 1 kg beef mince (see notes 1); 3 tbs breadcrumbs; 100 g roasted red capsicum, cut in strips; 100 g saganaki cheese, cut in strips; 650 g potatoes, 4 small potatoes, washed with skin on; ½ tbs dried oregano; 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 3 tbs lemon juice

Meatloaf is a kind of meal that is synonymous to comfort, family food and all together a complete dish. The basis of this recipe is similar to what I use for my beef patties with one of the biggest changes being that this meatloaf is stuffed with Greek saganaki cheese aka kefalograviera and roasted capsicum.

The ingredients needed

My go to flavour additives tend to be parsley, mint and cinnamon. Vinegar added helps tenderize the meat as well as give it some tang. For the meat I usually use a 3-star beef mince to include some fat for extra juiciness. The fat released from the meat also cooks the potatoes added in the baking tray, as I don’t add water rather only some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. If you choose to use a leaner beef mince you may need to add some water to help the potatoes cook and I add an egg to help mold the meatloaf better.

The inspiration behind the addition of saganaki was first sparked by my fellow foodie friend Helen from @helenskouzina. She has an inspiring Instagram page with so many creative dishes. Helen added saganaki pieces in a meatball recipe she shared and I was drooling at its sight! The cheese melts and adds a salty centre – delicious! I like to add roasted red capsicum (usually the jarred antipasto range) for some extra texture and flavour. I have also used sundried tomatoes instead of roasted capsicum, which worked really well too.

Sliced meatloaf with cheese melting showing.

The assembly

To put together the meatloaf I simply mix all the mince ingredients and then I mold it to create a rectangular sheet on some baking paper. I then lay the cheese and the roasted capsicum in the middle. To roll it, I use the baking paper on which the mince mixture is laid on to lift it over.