Gyro Loaf
with Tzatziki Sauce
prep time: 10 minutes, plus at least 1 hour to chill tzatziki sauce
cook time: 55 minutes yield: 6 servings
When I was little, I dreaded meatloaf night. I probably
would have liked it if I had given it a chance, but
seriously, I think the name turned me off. I love
meatloaf now. It’s like a gigantic hamburger. Who
wouldn’t want that? I am officially renaming meatloaf
“Gigantic Hamburger Loaf”!
Instead of using breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs, I
use an egg for the binder, along with finely chopped
mushrooms (you won’t taste them, but mushrooms
make the meatloaf very moist!) and grated Parmesan
cheese. Mushrooms and aged cheeses have
something called “umami,” a pleasant savory taste
produced by glutamate and ribonucleotides, which
are chemicals that occur naturally in many foods.
Umami is subtle, but it blends well with other tastes to
intensify and enhance flavors, and it plays an
important role in making food taste delicious.