Frenchified Meatloaf

When I was in Paris, I sent this recipe that I had developed to my parents, hoping they would try it for a more pâté-de-campagne-like version of our standard meatloaf that I had developed. Knowing my mother's aversion to garlic, I suggested that the two fat garlic cloves called for could be sliced and spread on the top and removed before serving, to get just a whiff of that garlic flavor, but it is really much better when they are mashed into the ground meats.

Ingredients

• 3 slices homemade-type white bread, crusts removed

• 3 pounds ground beef, veal, and pork (about 1/2 beef portion and 1/2 each of veal and pork)

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled, chopped, and mashed with 1/2 teaspoon salt (see below)

• Several grindings of black pepper

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, marjoram), or 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 strips bacon

• 1/2 cup red wine

Instructions

1. Spin the bread in a blender to make crumbs; you should have 1-1/2 cups. Dump everything except the bay leaves, bacon, and wine into a big bowl, and blend well, preferably with your hands.

2. Arrange the bay leaves on the bottom of a large loaf pan, and pack the meat mixture in. Place the strips of bacon on top, then pour the wine over, punching a few holes into the meat with your fingers so it will seep down a little. Let marinate for an hour or so, then bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Turn out of the pan, and remove the bay leaves. And pour any pan juices on top.

Note: If veal is too expensive or hard to get, use about 3/4 beef to 1/4 pork, ground. If you prefer, slice the peeled garlic instead and press into the top of the meatloaf, then remove the slices before you turn the meatloaf out. I also noted to my parents that I served this with a winter squash, split in half, with some butter smeared over and a teaspoon or so of some maple syrup they'd sent me in their care package to Paris. If you do this, put the squash in about 1/2 hour before the meatloaf, then let it continue to bake alongside.