Mexican Meatloaf

We don't really eat meatloaf in this country and I guess I can see why... it's not the best-looking dish I've ever seen! But if you just think of it as a giant meatball or burger patty but with extra juiciness, there's no reason not to love it!

This incarnation takes its flavours from Mexico with roasted red peppers, pickled jalapenos and black beans. The sauce is rich in flavour thanks to it's slow roasting process which is nicely cut through with a little red wine vinegar for tang. I like to serve this with tortilla chips for scooping everything up - delicious!

Mexican Meatloaf

Serves 4

oil

1 red onion

2 red peppers

14 jarred sliced green jalapenos

15g fresh coriander (or parsley)

400g tin black beans

500g lean beef mince

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

400g tin plum tomatoes

4 tbsp soured cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C. Peel the onion, cut into wedges, then pull apart into petals. Halve and deseed the peppers, chop into 3cm chunks, then put into a roasting tin with the onions. Toss together with 1 tbsp oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop the jalapenos and the coriander/parsley. Drain the beans and put half into a large bowl with the mince, jalapenos, coriander and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, scrunch the mixture together well then shape into a loaf. Nestle the meatloaf in the middle of the onion and pepper tray. Roast for a further 15 minutes.

Once done, remove the tray from the oven, drizzle the vinegar around the meatloaf, scatter in the remaining black beans and squash in the plum tomatoes. Swirl a little water around the tomato tin and into the tray. Stir the sauce together around the meatloaf, season and then return to the oven for a final 15 minutes.

Once the meatloaf is golden and cooked through, slice into pieces and serve with the sauce and some good dollops of sour cream. You can enjoy this with some simply steamed rice or even tortilla chips.