Mario Batali’s Italian Meatloaf

• Meat

  • 2 lbs Ground beef, lean
  • 2 lbs Italian-style pork sausage, sweet or hot
  • 10 thin slices Mortadella

• Produce

  • 1 lb Baby spinach
  • 4 Carrots
  • 12 Scallions

• Refrigerated

  • 3 Eggs, large

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 cup All-purpose flour

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 2 + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 4 1/4 cups Breadcrumbs, fresh

• Dairy

  • 6 slices Cascio di roma or other semi-soft sheep's milk cheese
  • 2 cups Pecorino romana
  • 1 cup Whole milk

• Other

  • 2 Springs fresh rosmary

Found on foodrepublic.com

Description

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, beef, 4 cups of the breadcrumbs, the pecorino, eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Mix gently but thorougly with your hands. Cover and refrigerate.  Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a large pasta pot. Set up an ice bath nearby.  Add 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water. Dip the spinach leaves in the water just to wilt them, immediately transfer them to the ice bath, then drain them in the colander.  Add the carrots to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then remove with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside. Drop the scallions into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set on a towel-lined plate.  Combine the flour with the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, and heavily dust a wooden board or work surface with the mixture.   Place the spinach leaves between two plates and press them together to remove remaining water, and then lay the spinach over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border on the short sides.  Lay the carrot pieces and then the scallions over the spinach, arranging them lengthwise down the rectangle.  Lay the mortadella and Cacio di Roma over the scallions.  Starting from a long side, roll the meat up like a jelly roll, making it as compact as possible; patch any holes like modeling clay. The roll should be about 16 inches long. Dust the outside with flour.  Place the loaf (on a diagonal if necessary) on a rimmed baking sheet, and press a sprig of rosemary onto each side of the polpettona and pour 1 cup of water into the pan. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the olive oil down the length of the loaf. Bake the polpettona for 1 hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Carefully transfer the loaf to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil and whisk to form a loose sauce. Slice the meatloaf into 1 inch-thick slices, drizzle with sauce and serve.