Chicken meat loaf with apple

These recipes come from a Betty Rosbottom book subtitled "New Renditions of the Recipes We Love," with fresh takes on American classics.

I had worried that the chicken meat loaf might be dry, and thought this duo that paired mushroom gravy with the meat loaf would take care of that potential problem. Turns out that wasn't really an issue.

Thyme-scented chicken meat loaf with mushroom gravy

From “American Favorites” by Betty Rosbottom.

Ingredients (meatloaf only)

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1/3 cup diced carrots

1/3 cup diced leeks (white parts only)

1/3 cup diced celery

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

 ¼ cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and grated

2 egg whites

Instructions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan. Add carrots, leeks and celery and cook over medium heat until softened. Let cool.

Mix cooked vegetables, ground meat, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, apple and egg whites. Divide into two parts, shaping each into a rounded football shape. Place on roasting pan -- either greased or lined with parchment. (At this point you can cover the loaves and refrigerate it for up to a day.) Dot loaves with remaining tablespoon butter cut into bits. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes until cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into ½-inch slabs and serve.

 

Mushroom gravy

From “American Favorites” by Betty Rosbottom

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1½ cups chopped green onions

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Add green onions and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Season with salt to taste.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add broth and cook until smooth and thickened. Stir in soy sauce. Add to mushroom mixture. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. 

Rating: The meat loaf was very tasty, with the apple making a nice bright note and adding some moisture to the turkey. I think it worked perfectly well by itself and was better standing alone (and makes for some decent sandwiches with the leftovers. The gravy was tasty, but it overshadowed the more delicate meat loaf flavors. I think it makes a great gravy if you want something to go over brown rice. I'd certainly make the meat loaf again sans gravy.