Rutabaga Potato Whip

My soul was not totally convinced that Springtime was here.  The 60 degree temperatures weren’t doing it, nor the dozen robins hopping around on the snowbanks with a perplexed look.  Nope, this was the clincher for me.  My Fellow Springdellians, spring has sprung! 

With the smell of freshly thawed land in the air, it’s a wonderful time to share the CSA bounty with good friends.  

I am leery about leaving the word “Spicy” in the title of this post, as “Zingy” or “Tangy” may be less off-putting to the capsaicin-o-phobes.  In reality, the only thing that may classify this loaf as spicy is the spoonful of Sriracha. I find the Sriracha in this recipe adds a flavorful punch without singeing your taste buds. Please feel free to try this recipe without the Sriracha, I still stand behind it. The verdict from one of my non-spicy loving friends was “this my be the best meat loaf I’ve ever had”.  They also felt that it was not spicy at all.  If you are feeling adventurous, give it a try!  You can always start with a teaspoon of Sriracha and ease into it if you like, or, take the meat and veggie concoction in another uncharted direction.  As long as you have a solid base for your meatloaf, you can go rogue with your ingredients.  Make it yours, make it fun!

I start by sautéing some onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter.  I find this extra step really brings out their flavor and texture in the loaf.  

I then take 2 pounds of ground beef, or make a combo with other ground meats such as chicken, turkey or pork, equal to 2 pounds total.  I add a tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce, low sodium soy sauce or tamari, about 3/4 cup panko, 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, mixing until well incorporated.  I also made a small gluten free meat loaf on the side, using gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce, and leaving out the panko.

I form my loaf on a sprayed broiling pan as some of the fats drip off.  This isn’t a necessary step, but I like the way it leaves the texture.  

After the loaf is shaped, I mix a heavy spoonful of ketchup, a slightly lesser spoonful of mustard, and a slightly lesser spoonful of brown sugar.  I use this mixture to coat the outside of the loaf before cooking.  Since I have a couple of tomatoes left, I decided to slice one thinly on top for garnish.  

Baked at 350 for about an hour or until the temperature is at least 140 in the center, this is a yummy and hearty meal.  

I loosely followed a recipe for Rutabaga-Potato Whip that I found in an out-of-print Betty Crocker cookbook (and by “loosely”, I mean I used rutabagas and potatoes and whipped them together).  

At a 1:1 ratio, I boiled up the potatoes (with peels) and rutabagas (peeled and sliced) until just mashable, then ran them through my food processor with a pat of butter, a pinch of salt, and cream to taste and texture.  The original recipe called for using sugar in the water when boiling the rutabagas, I didn’t do this and didn’t miss the extra sugar.  The original recipe also called for milk instead of cream, so if you’d like to trade in the extra calories for the milk version, that’s a-ok.  It was a great side dish that had us singing the praises of the almighty rutabaga ’round the table.

For dessert, we ate lots of Easter candy, and it still feels like we are barely making a dent in it all.  Thankfully we have these wholesome farm goodies to counteract the sugar rush.  

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did!  In the meantime, let us know how you’re enjoying your share box, we’d love to hear your ideas!