lagilman | From the Meerkat's Kitchen

Tonight's dinner. Not too spicy, but extremely tasty.

12 oz andouille sausage, finely chopped
1 c chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp. chipolte
2 cloves garlic, minced
shake of dried thyme
shake of dried oregano
1/2 c quality tomato sauce
1/2 c beef broth
1/2 c bread crumbs
1.5 pounds ground beef
salt and white pepper, to taste

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, chipolte, garlic, thyme and oregano and let simmer for a minute, then add sausage. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and elt come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix tomato sauce, broth and half the bread crumbs into the cooled mixture (add more bread crumbs as needed) until it's well-blended. Add the ground beef and mix gently, adding the rest of the bread crumbs until you're satisfied with the texture. Season with salt and pepper.

Pack the mixture into a 9x5 pan and create a depression down the center. Dribble any remaining tomato sauce on the top. Bake 45 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and pour off some of the fat. Tent with tin foil and let stand ten minutes, then slice and serve.

Even I, who have been feeling anti-food for many weeks now, ate my fill of this. Served with a garden salad, although garlic mashed potatoes would be a nice cold-weather addition.