Lamb Meatloaf with Blueberry Glaze
Lamb is one of my favorite proteins, it has a lot of flavor and has about as many ways to cook as beef, so I wanted to figure out a way to cook lamb into an all-American classic, meatloaf.
This lamb meatloaf is going to be full of flavor, juice, and will be smothered in a wonderful blueberry-bourbon glaze which will help cut through the richness of the lamb and make it that much more delicious.
Lamb Meatloaf
Serves 4-6
For the Meatloaf:
1 onion, quartered
1 large bulb of fennel, cored and quartered
2 medium red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 cloves of garlic
2 pounds of ground lamb
1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano (You could use parmesan, but I find that a sheep’s milk cheese like pecorino works better with the lamb cause…sheep…lamb…ah, you get it.)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons of finely chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and Pepper, to taste
For the Glaze:
Olive oil
2 small shallots, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of bourbon
2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen
Salt and pepper, to taste
Step 1: Make the Meatloaf
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with foil.
Place the onion, fennel, bell peppers, and garlic into a food processor, then pulse until finely chopped.
Add the pureed veggies to the ground lamb in a large bowl along with the pecorino, breadcrumbs, eggs, herbs, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Ground lamb has a good bit of fat in it, so it really does need a lot of salt. Use your hands to gently combine the mixture, but don’t squeeze it.
(Ok, normally this is the time where you’d bring out a loaf pan to cook the meatloaf in as it is a loaf, right? Well, if you think about it the loaf pan is the worst place you can cook meatloaf.
Naturally, as meat cooks, it releases fat and juices and with the loaf pan those juices will have nowhere else to go so it will just build up inside the pan and start to essentially boil the meat, giving it a grey appearance and not much flavor.
My advice is to cook the meatloaf on a sheet pan but use the loaf pan as a mold to get that classic loaf shape, this way the juices will have somewhere to go and can evaporate properly, the meat will get browned nicely, and you can maximize on that tasty glaze.)
Step 2: Start cooking the meatloaf
As mentioned, load the lamb mixture into a loaf pan then invert that pan onto the prepared sheet pan.
If you have a probe-style thermometer, then you will want to insert that now, but if not then don’t worry about it. Get the meatloaf into the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the loaf is mostly cooked. (Reaches around 135 degrees F)
Step 3: Make the Glaze
While the meatloaf cooks, heat up the olive oil with the shallots and garlic in a wide pan for about a minute, or until the shallots and garlic sizzle and start to turn golden.
Remove the pan from the heat, then carefully add the bourbon, then tilt the pan towards your burner (use a candle lighter if you have an electric stove) until the alcohol ignites into a flambe. Allow the bourbon to flame until the fire is extinguished, then add the blueberries and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the berries have burst and the liquid slightly thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Glaze and Finish the Loaf
After 40 minutes, open the oven and quickly brush the blueberry glaze onto the meatloaf. Be generous and make sure the whole surface of the loaf is coated.
Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F/68 C and the glaze has slightly browned. Allow the loaf to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
I will honestly say that this is one of the best meatloaves I’ve ever eaten.
It is incredibly juicy, full of flavor from the fennel, the sage, the natural lamb flavor, and the herbs, but then that fruity, tangy blueberry glaze comes in and fills my tastebuds with all sorts of goodness.
