Chicken & Bacon Meatloaf w Sourdough Topping
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 rashers bacon, finely diced
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 kg chicken mince
- 250 gm cream cheese, at room temperature
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup pine nuts (30 gm), toasted
- ½ cup basil leaves, shredded
- ½ tsp fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 slices sourdough bread, crusts removed
- 40 gm unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
- Roasted vegetables to serve.
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C Fan.
- Grease a 10 x 22 cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.
- In a frypan over medium heat, add the oil, bacon and onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and the bacon renders its fat, add the garlic and cook for one minute, transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken mince, cream cheese, lemon zest, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and basil; mix well to combine but a few larger bits of cream cheese scattered throughout are ideal. Fill the loaf tin with the chicken mixture, pushing it into the corners and smooth the top – I find using clean wet hands are the best tools here.
- For the topping, use a food processor to pulse the sourdough slices into breadcrumbs, but not too fine. Place the breadcrumbs into a bowl and pour over the melted butter and mix well to coat; add the parmesan cheese and spread the crumb mix evenly over the top of the meatloaf. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked and the top is golden and crunchy. (A thermometer should read 75°C when pressed into the centre of the meatloaf).
- Use the baking paper to lift the meatloaf out of the tin and onto a board; cut thick slices and serve with roasted vegetables.
Recipe, Food Styling and Photography by Karen McFarlane, foodlove.com.au
