old-fashioned meat loaf with gravy

I often combine liver and other organ meats with ground beef or pork when making meat loaf or meatballs. The rich flavor of liver complements the other meats without overwhelming them, broadening their flavors and elevating them to a robust heartiness. A bit of coriander and allspice help to round out the flavors in this classic meat loaf, while the sweet saltiness of bacon brings it all together. I often serve this with mashed potatoes or root vegetables and a simple brown gravy.

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

MEAT LOAF

• 8 ounces beef liver Milk, for soaking the liver
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1½ pounds ground pork
• 1 small yellow onion, finely minced
• 1½ teaspoons finely ground unrefined sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup sourdough bread crumbs
• 8 ounces bacon (about 8 slices)

GRAVY

• 3 carrots
• 2 yellow onions
• 5 ribs celery
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups Beef Bone Broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Finely ground unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the meat loaf, trim the liver of any sinew and drop it into a small mixing bowl. Cover it with milk and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Drain away the milk and pat the liver dry. Transfer it to a food processor and process it until coarsely ground.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. Transfer the liver to a large mixing bowl and add the ground meats, minced onion, salt, coriander, allspice, parsley, thyme, eggs, and bread crumbs. Knead the ingredients by hand until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf and weave or layer the bacon on top. Place the meat loaf bacon side up in a 9 by 4-inch loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 1½ hours, until the loaf is well browned on top and no longer pink in the middle.
4. While the meat loaf bakes, prepare the gravy. First peel and chop the carrots and onions into 1-inch pieces, then chop the celery into 1-inch pieces. Place the vegetables in a large saucepan and drop in the thyme and bay leaf. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables soften enough to fall apart when pressed with the tines of a fork.
5. Pluck out the sprigs of thyme and bay leaf, then puree the vegetables into the broth with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper and strain into a gravy boat. Slice the meat loaf and serve with the gravy.