Glazed Turkey Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Meatloaf is one of those iconic comfort meals that never lets us down.  Unless of course it is dry and bland.  Which this version is NOT!

When you think about it, meatloaf is really one large, oblong meatball.  So I decided that I’d take one of my favourite meatloaf recipes and turn it into individual meatballs.  Because, well, meatballs!

This version is a Turkey Meatloaf.  Try and get dark meat turkey, it will result in a juicier meatloaf. And of course, feel free to use chicken, pork or beef if you’d rather.   This is a lighter meatloaf than my classic retro Diner Blue Plate Special Meatloaf,  making it a perfect choice for Spring and Autumn.

Flavour Makers

Along with the turkey, the flavour comes from a variety of finely chopped sautéed veg. Go for all the colours: red, yellow or orange bell peppers, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and chopped parsley.  Garlic, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper round out the flavour makers.  And instead of using an egg, milk and bread to create moisture and a binder, ricotta cheese is what brings it all together.

The glaze going on these mini meatloaves is made up of honey, tomato paste, more Worcestershire sauce, mustard, tomato paste, a bit of cayenne pepper if so desired, and apple cider vinegar.  You will simmer them together till just thickened and smooth.  The glaze will be brushed onto the meatloaves before they go into the oven.

Method

For the meatloaves, you will sauté off the veggies and place them into a large bowl.  Add in the ricotta, and the chopped parsley.  Mix together, this way it will mix more evenly when the meat is added in.  Once the meat is worked in (don’t overwork, and try to use just your fingertips to mix everything) pat it down so that you get a level top.  Use the back of your hand or a wooden spoon to divide the top into four sections.  From each section form two meatloaves or meatballs.  Press together well so that they won’t fall apart as they bake. Each one should weigh about 4 oz.  Lay them out onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a rim.  

Once ready to go into a 400F oven, brush or spoon some of the glaze onto each meatball.  Bake on the centre rack till nicely browned, the glaze is burnished, and the internal temperature is 165F (74C) This should take between 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Let them cool about 10 minutes before serving with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.  Serve with the remaining glaze.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Let’s take everyone’s favourite carby side, and take it to the next level with some brown butter!! It really is quite easy.  While the potatoes simmer in a pot to fork tender, brown some butter in a small sauce pan or butter pot.  You will do this by cutting the butter into cubes, and setting the pot over medium heat.  Let it go through all the phases of bubbling, till it finally takes on a nutty aroma, and there are browned bits of milk fat at the bottom of the pot.  This should take about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your pot.  The large the pot, the faster it will go, as there is more surface for the butter to cook on.  

Use a potato ricer or use a masher on the potatoes, adding nutmeg, the browned butter, and room temperature milk or cream till you get the consistency of potato that your family likes.  Season with salt and white pepper.

Final Thoughts

Of course, you can form one large meatloaf by shaping it with your hands on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.  It should be around 9 x 5 or thereabouts.  Just remember, the larger the shape the longer it will take to bake.  Start checking after 40 minutes.

These can be formed and baked off the next day.  In fact you can form the meatballs and freeze them by placing them onto a wax paper lined baking sheet and putting it into the freezer.  Once frozen they can be transferred to a freezer bag and frozen till needed. 

Leftover baked meatloaves make great sandwiches.  Re-heat in a 300F oven till warmed through. Or slice and sauté in a pan over medium low heat till a lovely crust forms on the outside. If you want, you can always make extra glaze for a second serving.

If you make these Turkey Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

Print

Glazed Turkey Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Does it get anymore home cooking than meatloaf and mashed potatoes?! I think not! Here, the meatloaf is lightened up by using turkey, and ricotta cheese instead of egg, milk and bread. Let's make them personal sized, and glaze them in a kicky sauce. And serve them on a bed of Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Keyword brown butter, mashed potatoes, ricotta cheese, turkey meatloaves

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Turkey Meatloaves

• 2 tsp plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and de-veined, finely diced
• 1 small to medium red onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 6 olive oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced, see Notes
• 2 handfuls of parsley, finely chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
• 3/4 cup (185 g) fresh whole milk ricotta
• 1 lb (455 g) ground turkey, preferably dark meat, see Notes

Tomato Glaze

• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup (65 g) tomato paste
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

• 1 1/2 lb (780 g) Yukon Gold potaotes
• 6 tbsp butter 3 oz or 100 g
• Whole milk up to one cup (240 ml)
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• salt
• white pepper

Instructions

Turkey Meatloaves

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush or use your hands to spread out the 2 tsp of olive oil over the surface of the paper. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the remaining olive oil. Sauté the red pepper and onion until softened and starting to brown on the edges, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the garlic. Let these cool down slightly in a large bowl.
4. Once cooled down, add in the oregano, salt, pepper, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to coat.
5. Add in the ricotta and parsley. Combine everything well.
6. Add the turkey and use your hands (fingertips) to bring everything together and well blended.

7. Take a small amount of the mixture and create a small patty (about the size of a quarter) and sauté it in a pan over medium heat till cooked through. Cool and eat to determine if you like the flavour. If not, now is the time to adjust the seasonings in the mixture in the bowl. Only then are you ready to form the meatloaves.

8. Pat the mixture down level and then use a wooden spoon to divide the mixture into four even sections.
9. Use well oiled fingers to form two meatballs from each section. Make sure you press them firmly so that they will hold together in the oven as they bake. This will give you eight balls.
10. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush or spoon some of the Glaze over each meatball.
11. Bake on the centre rack till nicely browned, and the glaze is burnished, and the internal temperature is 165F (74C) This should take between 30-40 minutes depending on your oven and how large you rolled the meatballs or if you formed one large meatloaf. Start checking after 30 minutes.
12. Set them aside to cool down for 10 minutes before serving with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.

Glaze, can be made in advance

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat. You should see bubbles gently appearing on the surface. Whisk constantly till thickened, about two minutes. Set aside. Feel free to make the day before and reheated to thin it out.
2. Feel free to double the recipe if you would like extra sauce for serving with the meatballs.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

1. Peel and cut the potatoes. If they are large, cut them into eighths, if on the smaller side, cut into fourths or even in half is fine.
2. Add to a pot and cover with water and a good 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium.
3. Let them simmer till a knife easily slides into the centre of the potatoes. This should take around 15 minutes.
4. While the potatoes are simmering, place the butter in a small sauce pan or butter pot. Set it over medium heat and let the butter go through all the stages of foaming and bubbling, till that wonderful nutty aroma is achieved, and browned bits of milk fat are stuck at the bottom of the pan. This should take about 12 minutes or so depending on the size of pot you are using.
5. When the potatoes are cooked through, drain well, and use a potato ricer or masher to blend your potatoes. You can do this in the same pot you cooked them in.
6. Add the browned butter, nutmeg and 1/4 cup of milk. Stir to blend. Continue adding milk until you achieve the texture of mashed potatoes that you like. Season with salt and white pepper

Recipe Notes

If you can only find dried sun-dried tomatoes, then reconstitute them by placing them in a bowl and adding boiling water over them. Let them sit until softened so that they can be easily sliced with a knife.
Feel free to replace the turkey with chicken, pork or ground beef.

I played with a recipe from Julia Turshen's book, Now and Again.  The glaze is new.