Meatloaf Cupcakes With Mash Potato Frosting

Photo: flickr user Pocheco

Ingredients

pound ground veal

pound ground chuck

pound ground pork

1 small carrot, roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly diced

2 stalks celery, roughly diced

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

cup milk

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

For the “frosting”:

7 1/5 ounces box instant mashed potatoes

package Milk, per instructions

package Butter, per instructions

Beet juice from canned beets

To garnish:

Green pepper, very finely diced

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk and set aside.

Sweat the vegetables in olive oil until softened. Transfer to a deep bowl and use an immersion blender to puree; alternatively, puree in food processor.

Mix the three meats, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and vegetable puree in a large bowl until an even consistency is reached.

Place meat mixture in greased muffin tins and bake until brown and shrunken away from the sides, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from tin and cool on rack.

For the “frosting”:

Prepare one sachet of instant mashed potatoes according to package instructions. To prepare the other, substitute beet juice from canned beets for the water called for in the instructions. Allow to cool.

Transfer each batch of mashed potato into a separate pastry bag (or Ziploc bag with a snipped-off corner) with your favourite pastry tip. Pipe onto cupcakes and decorate with diced green pepper and bacon sprinkles.

Reheat in oven or microwave before serving.