Turkey Meatloaf & Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

I have never really been a fan of ground turkey, probably because like most of us, I could never really make anything with it that was very tasty. Well…until now. By all means, this isn’t one of those “Bucket List” items, but it sure feels good to have finally conquered this mostly tasteless meat!

Contrary to some thoughts, ground turkey is not always better for you than ground beef. Often, lean ground beef has just as few calories as ground turkey; just be sure that whichever one you are using is lean. The added benefit of using ground turkey is that it has lower fat and cholesterol content and using it in recipes where you can add a lot of flavor is very helpful.

Ingredients:
½ small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/3 lb ground turkey (my grocery store only had 85% when I bought it; you may be able to find it leaner)
½ cup quick oats, oatmeal
4 T BBQ sauce, divided
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
2 T flax seed meal
1 tsp marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium skillet over low/medium heat, sauté onions in the olive oil, stirring often, until soft – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper, sauté and stir for about 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire and 2 T BBQ sauce, stir. Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix turkey, onion mixture, oatmeal, remainder of BBQ sauce, egg, flaxseed meal and marjoram. Don’t over mix; just be sure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Place mixture in a loaf pan or divide among mini loaf pans for individual servings. Brush remainder of BBQ sauce on top. I like to add ketchup, too.
Bake in the oven for about 1 hour for a single loaf and 45 minutes for minis. Be sure to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should be at least 165 degrees.

Serve with Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes! See recipe below.

While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare the potatoes.

Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
10-15 small red creamer potatoes
3 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 T parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium to large pot, place cleaned potatoes, skins intact, and cover with enough water to submerge the potatoes. Boil on med/high heat for about 20 minutes. A fork should glide easily when tested. Drain the potatoes and set aside for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, using your hand or a spatula, smoosh (yes, very technical) them a bit.

In a skillet, heat the oil and then add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary. Without messing with it too much, let the mixture cook for about 7 minutes. Then, turn the potatoes over to cook the other side for another 7 minutes. You can choose to smoosh them some more or leave them as is. Before removing from the heat, sprinkle the cheese on top allowing it to melt a little bit before serving.