ITALIAN LAYERED MEAT-AND-POTATO LOAF WITH ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
• FOR THE MEATLOAF:.
• Boil potatoes till tender; drain.
• Add milk and salt and pepper to taste; potatoes should still be pretty dry, but hold together enough to work with in a later step.
• While the potatoes are boiling, add oil to a frying pan and saute the onion, pepper, and garlic till tender, but not brown (about 3-5 minutes); take off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the onion mix, minced meat, breadcrumbs, basil and egg; add salt and pepper to taste and mix very well (use your hands).
• Place half of the meat mixture in a baking dish, shaping it into a rather wide loaf with a flattened top (since you will be stacking the other ingredients above).
• Take half of the mashed potatoes, and make a level layer of them above the meat base (once again, hands work best).
• Cover the potato layer with the spinach leaves.
• Cover the spinach with the mozzarella, again making a level layer.
• Cover this with the remaining potatoes, once again leveling.
• Finish off with the remaining meat, molding and shaping it to not only cover the top, but down the sides as needed to keep the stacks together.
• Bake for 20 minutes, glaze the top with honey, and continue baking for 20 to 25 more minutes.
• Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.
• FOR THE TOMATOES:.
• Just as you are placing the meatloaf in the oven, wash tomatoes, and slice in half horizontally.
• Remove the pips and juices with your fingers.
• Sprinkle the tomato cavities with salt, then turn them upside down on a paper towel (this will help remove extra juices which would tend to make them mushy when baking).
• After fifteen minutes, place the tomato halves right side up on a non-stick baking sheet.
• Place the garlic slivers in the tomato cavities (at least two per cavity) and drizzle with olive oil (to taste, but I recommend about 1/2 tsp per tomato).
• At the time that you glaze the meatloaf with the honey, place the tomatoes in the oven (thus, bake for 20-25 minutes).