Former First Lady Pat Nixon’s Meatloaf
President Nixon was a fan of his wife’s famous meatloaf. Her meatloaf was served at the White House once a month. The White House started receiving so many request for her recipe that eventually it was printed on official stationery and mailed to those that requested it.
Mrs. Nixon once said…”Dick eats everything but he likes my meat loaf”
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 slices white bread
1 cup milk
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Directions:
- Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan
- Melt butter in a sauté pan, add garlic and sauté until golden, do not brown, let cool
- Dice bread and soak it in milk
- In a large mixing bowl, mix beef by hand with sautéed onions, garlic and bread pieces. Add eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and marjoram and mix by hand in a circular motion
- Turn mixture into the baking pan and pat into a loaf shape, leaving at least one inch of space around the edges to allow fat to run off
- Brush the top with the tomato puree and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to penetrate and to firm up the loaf
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Bake meatloaf on lower shelf of oven for 1 hour, or until meat is cooked through. Pour off accumulated fat several times while baking and after meat is fully cooked. Let stand on wire rack for five minutes before slicing. Makes 6 servings
