BISON MEAT LOAF

One meal I like to make is a meat loaf. I have tended to use bison meat as it is leaner than ground beef and I also like the taste of bison. I add some vegetables to the meat loaf and what is added is sometimes dependant on what is in the fridge. Carrots, celery and onion are always handy; mushrooms and even spinach will be added if available. I prefer to add cooked chopped spinach versus raw spinach as cooked spinach is easier to mix into raw ground meat. You just need to make sure that you got most of the water out of the cooked spinach. 

In making this loaf I decided to bake it on a rack versus using a loaf pan. Baking it on a rack makes the sides of the cooked meat loaf crispy and really adds to the taste. I think this is my new favourite of cooking meat loaf. I used a rack rather than putting it directly onto parchment paper as I was unsure if there was going to be much juice. With lean ground bison, there wasn't more than a tablespoon of juice. If I used ground beef, there would have been more juice. With the shape of the rack, I ended up making two large halves and a mini size loaf. The rack is place on top of a baking sheet so that juices don't drip down onto the bottom base of your oven.

 

INGREDIENTS: 

500 grams or 1 lb ground raw bison

 

3 large handfuls of spinach  

1 tbsp oil

1 medium carrot, peeled, finely chopped

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 celery, finely chopped

3 mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp herbes de provence

a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Steam the spinach until it cooks down and drain it in a colander. Squeeze the excess moisture out using the back of a spoon or by using your hands. Chop the cooked spinach and set aside. 

2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

3. Add the oil to a frying pan, heat on the stove top to medium high. Add the carrot, onion, celery, mushroom and garlic powder. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the vegetables are lightly browned and starting to soften. Turn the heat off and set the pan with the vegetables aside.

4. Place the bison in a medium size mixing bowl and mash down the meat from the cube shape it was in when bought. Add the cooked chopped spinach to the meat and combine well. Add the vegetables, herbs and spices and the panko crumbs. Combine well. You want the vegetables dispersed through the meat. 

5. Put the meat loaf mixture into a loaf pan 

OR 

 

 

using your hands, shape the meat loaf mixture into two or three mini loaves and place on a cooking rack nestled onto a cookie sheet. The other option is to shape one big loaf and place directly onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes. 

7. Serves up to four depending on appetites.