Bûche de Noël Meat Loaf

by Hidemi Walsh
(Plainfield IN)

This is my husband's most favorite food and I have cooked this since we got married. We have eaten this meat loaf on every Christmas Eve. I am going to make it this year too. Meat loaf covered with mashed potato. This is so good!

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 small carrot
1/2 Onion
1 Garlic Clove
4 tablespoons Panko Crumbs or Bread Crumbs
4 tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Cooked Mashed Potatoes
1 Egg Yolk
1 Egg White
1 bunch Broccoli
1/2 Carrot (use only top)

Directions:
1.Chop onion, 1 carrot and garlic clove. In a frying pan, heat olive oil and sauté them for 4-6 minutes. Let it stand.
2.In a bowl, put Panko and pour milk. Let stand.
3.Cut broccoli into florets. Cut stem into 1/4 inch thick slices. Boil until tender. Drain and let stan.
4.Cut carrot into 4-5 slices, half inch thick horizontally. Heat in a microwave for 2-3 minutes until tender. Press floured star-shaped cookie cutter into carrot, remove cutter, leaving star outline.
5.Preheat the oven to 430 degrees F.
6.In a bowl, combine ground turkey, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well.
7.Then add egg, sautéed onion, carrot and garlic, soaked panko to the bowl. Mix well.
8.Place the mixture on the aluminum foil, 10 inch square. Roll once to seal the both sides of meat. Fix the shape (shape it long cylinder). Bake for 30-35 minutes.
9.When the meatloaf is done, remove the aluminum foil and wrap the meat loaf with mashed potatoes. Then cut 1 inch diagonally one side of the edge.
10.Brush egg yolk on the surface and touch with fork to design like tree.
11.Bake at 430 degrees F. for 5 minutes.
12.In a small bowl, whip egg white until foamy.
13.Put the star-shaped carrots and brocolli stem on the meatloaf, place broccoli around the meat loaf and pour the whipped egg over the broccoli (like to make it look like a snow).