Meatloaf—everyone has an image in mind: compact, dull, the kind of thing you’d see in 80s school cafeterias. Huge casting error. Made in a slow cooker, it’s one of the most melt-in-your-mouth dishes there is, for a result that far exceeds expectations.
When you lift the lid after three and a half hours, the smell is the first thing that hits you—confit onion, caramelized meat, and a sweet-and-sour sauce that has had time to concentrate. The top has taken on a deep mahogany color where the glaze has slowly baked into a shiny and slightly sticky crust. Sliced, the interior reveals a tight but moist texture, almost like a terrine—nothing like the dry, crumbly version we dread. This is exactly what comfort food is about.
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