Buffalo Turkey Meatloaf

From 1993 − 1995, I attended Kent State University, Kent, Ohio,  to take classes in the Communication Studies Masters' Program. Although I have all but my Thesis, I'm glad I attended because I met Kerry and became acquainted with a wonderful bar. Nearly every Friday afternoon, my classmates and I would go to the original BW3s, now known as Buffalo Wild Wings, to drink cheap beer, play the trivia competition and eat wings. From that moment on, I developed a hankering for Buffalo Wings and anything with Buffalo Sauce.

The tangy, hot sauce is the perfect addition to lower-fat ground meats (such as turkey or chicken) as it gives the "kick" without the fat. This recipe takes two of my favorite things: turkey meatloaf and Buffalo Sauce and melds them together for the perfect entree.

Although this recipe is a little more higher fat than some might like, you could easily reduce the fat content by sautéing the onions, celery and garlic in olive oil, using less butter in the Buffalo Sauce and reducing the amount of cheese. For the life of me, though, I wouldn't know why you would want to!

Ingredients

1 − 2 tablespoon of rendered bacon fat (or olive oil)
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
2 stalks celery (finely diced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 pound ground turkey (94% lean)
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon of Frank's Hot Sauce
¼ cup milk (2% or whole)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup grated Swiss Cheese
½ cup Blue Cheese
4 tablespoons of butter

Directions

Dice one medium yellow onion. Here's how I do it. Start with the onion. Place it on your cutting board and have a sharp chef's knife handy. I am a big fan of Wusthof Grand Prix II and mostly use the 8" chef's knife.

Remove the stem ends and discard.

Cut the onion in half.

Remove the peal and discard.

With the flat side of the onion on the board, make horizontal cuts through the onion and go almost to the edge of the onion but without cutting straight through it. Repeat in ¼ inch increments until you get to the top of the onion.

Next make vertical cuts from the top of the onion to the bottom (starting the cut close to the end of the onion but not straight through). Repeat in ¼ inch increments.

Finally, make counter-cuts through the onion to make diced onions. Cut in ¼ inch increments. Go ahead and chop away. It is very cathartic! (When you get to the bit of the onion at the end that has no cuts, just put it on its side and quickly dice it up.)

Go ahead and dice two celery stalks and mince two garlic cloves.

Over a medium temperature, heat a skillet and add the bacon grease or olive oil. To the heated oil, add the diced onion and celery and sauté for 3 − 4 minutes until the onions are translucent. I always add a bit of Kosher salt to help the sautéing. Once translucent, add the garlic to the pan and sauté another 1 − 2 minutes.

Place the sautéed onions, celery and garlic in a bowl to cool. (To clean the skillet, heat the skillet on high heat for a minute then add in ½ cup of water which will immediately come to a boil. Start scraping the pan and your clean-up will be a breeze.)

In a large bowl, place the ground turkey, rolled oats, eggs, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, milk, salt and pepper. Combine. (I use my hands to combine - impeccably cleaned, of course. It is adult sandbox play!) The meat mixture will be on the wet side (that is o.k. - don't worry about it - it will make the meatloaf nice and moist).

Spray a 5x9 loaf pan with cooking spray (I prefer glass pans for meatloaf as I think it gives a nicer crust). Put half of the meatloaf mixture in the bottom of the pan and pat down. Cover the meat mixture with Swiss Cheese and Blue Cheese.

Cover the cheese with the remaining meat mixture.

In a saucepan, combine ½ cup of Frank's Hot Sauce and ¼ cup of butter and heat only to melt the butter.

Pour the Buffalo Sauce on top of the meatloaf. Take a wooden skewer and make holes in the meatloaf to allow some of the sauce to seep into the loaf.

Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the meat mixture to tighten up.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator (if using glass, let it sit for 15 minutes before placing it in the oven). Place the foil covered pan in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the meatloaf rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with prepared blue cheese salad dressing on the side as a condiment. This meal was served with Crunchy Broccoli Salad and Rosemary Oven-Baked Steak Fries.