SERVES 4
Home cooks know that a good meatloaf recipe is worth its weight in gold. Here you can stuff a meatloaf with hard-boiled eggs as the Scots do, or try a layer of sautéed mushrooms and low-sodium cheese.
4 large eggs
¼ cup low-fat milk
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1½ pounds lean ground beef
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Boil 3 of the eggs for 7 minutes. Place under cold running water to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the remaining egg and milk with a whisk. Add the oats, stir well, and let sit for at least 5 minutes, or until the oats absorb the liquid and soften. Stir in the beef, parsley, sage, and Worcestershire sauce, and season with pepper.
4. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Scrape the onions and oil into the meat mixture. Work the mixture together with a wooden spoon or clean hands until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
5. Spread half of the beef mixture in the bottom of a loaf pan. Lay the hard-boiled eggs end to end down the center of the mixture. Top the eggs with the remaining mixture and smooth the top. Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serve with a drizzle of pan juices over each slice.