Meatloaf

I am not a big fan of meatloaf, but it was one of the recipes in Marion Cunningham's Cooking with Children that I wanted my son to try. (She has a grown-up version of it at Epicurious.) My son actually loved the dish, but I would cook it longer than the 40 minutes indicated in the recipe.

Serves 4.

If you are making meatloaf for dinner, set the table and wash the greens for a salad (or prepare anything else you plan to have with the meatloaf) while it is baking. Then you will have everything ready so you can serve the meatloaf while it is hot and sit down and enjoy it. Remember that leftover meatloaf makes a wonderful sandwich the next day. It is just as delicious cold in a sandwich as it is hot on a plate.

1 lb ground beef (about .454 kilo)
1 egg
1/3 cup tomato ketchup
2 slices bread
1/4 cup milk
1 small yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly oil a loaf pan or any medium-sized baking dish that will hold about 6 cups.
2. Put the ground beef in a mixing bowl and break it into pieces, handling it lightly. If you pack it down, press on it, and squeeze it firmly, it will be tough when it is baked. Handling it lightly and gently helps keep the meat moist and tender when it is baked.
3. Break the egg into a small bowl and stir it with a fork. Add 1/3 ketchup to the egg and stir to mix. Pour the ketchup-egg mixture over the meat, but don't mix it in yet.
4. Tear the 2 slices of bread into bits about the size of a macaroni noodle, and put them in the bowl you used for the egg.
5. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup milk over the bread pieces, and then lightly toss them with your hands. Let the bread and milk sit a minute while you chop the onion.
6. Add the minced onion to the beef in the mixing bowl, but don't start mixing yet.
7. Add to the meat the bread bits that have soaked up the milk and sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the beef and other ingredients.
8. Using your hands, gently mix all the ingredients together.
9. Gather up the beef mixture and put it into the loaf pan or baking dish. Pat it lightly so it is even on top. Put it in the oven and bake for an hour.
10. Carefully remove the meatloaf from the oven and put it down on a heatproof surface. You can cut slices of meatloaf right out of the pan. Make them about 1 inch thick. Use a knife or thin metal spatula to lift the slices out of the pan. Put the slices on the serving plate and eat while the meatloaf is still hot.