Last night, we had a twist on a wonderful classic: meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a delicious onion gravy reminiscent of the onion gravy served on brats that we had on our visit to Switzerland a few years ago.
To kick this classic dish up a few notches, we added some beautiful shredded parsnips to our meatloaf, and topped the whole thing with balsamic glaze and fresh tomatoes, which roasted and caramelized in the oven. The mashed potatoes were made "Tom" style in honor of our friend, who says that the best method for making mashed potatoes is to boil the potatoes with the onion and garlic in the pot of water in order to infuse the flavor. Everything was delicious, but the onion gravy was the star.
Although we put it on our meatloaf (and on mashed potato cakes with eggs for breakfast in the morning), this gravy is incredibly versatile. It would make a great topping for steak, on burgers, a veal cutlet or pork chop, or maybe for bangers and mash. The flavor is potent--rich, salty, and oniony. But I could seriously drink this stuff, and the rest of my family would probably agree.
