Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (preferably naturally raised)

1 lb ground veal (preferably naturally raised)

1 lb ground pork (preferably naturally raised Berkshire)

2 stalks of celery, finely diced

1 large Spanish onion, finely diced

1 T. chopped, fresh Italian parsley

1 T. chopped, fresh thyme leaves

1 T. chopped, fresh chives

3 large eggs (preferably organic)

1 1/3 c. Panko bread crumbs, finely ground in a food processor

2/3 c. whole milk (preferably hormone and antibiotic free)

1 T. kosher salt

1 T. freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

2 c. dark chicken jus or beef broth

8 to 10 cloves of roasted garlic

3 T. butter at room temperature

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

  1. Place every item except the onion and celery in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and film it with extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the celery and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Remove the celery and onion from the pan and let cool. When the mixture is cool, add it to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
  3. By hand, mix the ingredients until well combined and everything is evenly distributed.
  4. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking pan (it should have sides at least 1.5 inches high to prevent grease runoff from the pan). Free form the meat loaf on the pan into a rectangular cylinder. Pat it and punch it down and reform into a cylinder-this will get rid of air pockets.
  5. Place the pan in the pre-heated 350F degree oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes or until a probe thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees.
  6. Remove from the oven and let the loaf rest for 10 minutes. Slice into portions of your preference and serve with potato puree and sautéed spinach.

Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients and cook over medium high heat until lightly thickened. Spoon the sauce over the meat loaf.