Bison Meatloaf with Carrots and Potatoes

This is by far the best meatloaf I ever had. My mother used to make meatloaf with carrots and potatoes surrounding it so I make mine the same way. A meal all in one dish. At my local Ingles grocery store I can purchase ground bison from Carolina Bison company (click the link to see if it's carried in your area, they also ship). Here's some nutritional information about eating bison from the National Bison Association.

Since we were having company for the weekend I used three packages. Besides I like to have left over meatloaf for the next day. I mixed the meat with finely chopped onions, medium chopped peppers, oregano, marjoram, basil, salt, pepper, three eggs, and gluten free crackers rolled medium fine. I put the crackers in a baggie and roll them with a rolling pin for my own gluten free cracker crumbs. I mixed this all up first with a spoon then with my hands. I've never been able to mix up a meatloaf well enough unless I use my hands.

I shaped the meat mixture into a loaf and placed in the center of a 13 x 10 inch glass casserole dish. I used baby carrots whole and purple potatoes chopped medium and placed them around the outside of the loaf. I poured two cans of diced tomatoes over the top and sprinkled with more spices of oregano, marjoram, and basil. I topped the casserole with some slices of pepper jack cheese. I placed in a preheated 350 F oven for one hour and fifteen minutes. Years ago when I made beef meatloaf there was always a lot of grease in the vegetables. Since the packaged bison I used has very little fat there was a nice au jus for the vegetables after cooking. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Bison Burgers for Thanksgiving

We planned to go to a local buffet for a traditional turkey dinner for thanksgiving. I haven't eaten beef  for more than 20 years but I saw ground bison meat at the grocery store recently and bought several packages.. The package said the meat came from North Carolina and the meat contains no hormones or antibiotics. Bison meat is much leaner than beef and the texture is more dense. I decided we'd have a non traditional thanksgiving dinner right in our motorhome rather than going to eat.

I sauteed a little minced garlic in butter and formed the bison meat into patties and placed them in the pan. Amazingly the formed patties stayed together without the addition of any egg or liquid and thickener.

After the patties were cooked on one side I turned them over and poured some mild steak marinade over them and placed a small pat of white cheddar on top. I covered the pan and cooked the bison burgers through. They were delicious but I thought they might be even better on a grill. I can't wait to have an outdoor BBQ again. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.