Boudin-Stuffed Meatloaf

Before I went to college, I rarely ate fast food. I could count on one hand the amount of times I’d been to Burger King (I still can, actually). If McDonald’s didn’t have Monopoly or Hardee’s didn’t have to-die-for, amazing breakfast biscuits, they, too, would both fall into this category of “scarcely consumed.” When we had to eat fast food, my parents usually stopped at Subway or, occasionally, Arby’s

Besides keeping me healthy and well-fed on delicious homemade food, the end result of this fast food fasting was an intense love of all things greasy and drive-through friendly once I reached college. On a related note, TV was not encouraged in my house either; I became giddily obsessed with trash TV in college. Imagine girl under sheltered umbrella of healthy goodness. Then imagine girl thrown into the wild world of Say Yes to the Dress marathons and McDonald’s French fries. Crazy.
Thanks to my limited exposure, I am acutely aware that a certain burger chain’s commercials are nauseating. Why does the burger have to bounce at the end of every commercial? And why are dripping grease and squirting mayonnaise supposed to be sexy? It shouldn’t bounce, and those two things are not sexy.

The point of all this is that I made meatloaf last night. Boudin-stuffed meatloaf, like from Ignatius, one of my favorite little restaurants. And just like those fast food burgers that need a little spring on the screen or a bikini-clad woman to make them appealing…meatloaf does not photograph well. I tried taking pictures of it on the plate; I tried letting its juices run about; I tried hiring people to eat it seductively. But it was all a lost cause.

So, y’all just have to trust me on this. Don’t judge a meatloaf by its pictures. Judge it by its deliciousness. And if you’re hesitant, head down to Ignatius next time you’re in New Orleans and order a plate. It’s actually irresistible. Then, go home and make it for yourself.

Boudin-Stuffed Meatloaf
From Just a Pinch Recipe Club
Serves 6

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs Tony’s
1 onion soup mix
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. boudin, removed from casings

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a meatloaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Add Worcestershire sauce, Tony’s, soup mix, and bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Add ground beef and combine with your hands.

Put half of the ground beef mixture in the prepared pan. Cover with the boudin. Top that with the rest of the ground beef.

Cook meatloaf for about 1 hour. When you serve the meatloaf, it may look like it is not cooked in the middle, but that’s just the boudin, which may not set as well as the beef.

Picnic tip: Pack your picnic basket with leftover meatloaf. You won’t be able to find a heartier or more scrumptious sandwich than one with meatloaf slices stuffed in between the bread!