From the Lied Lodge Kitchen: Bison Meatloaf

On a cold winter’s day the comfort of prairie-fed bison meatloaf is absolutely perfect. I love this simple recipe for its rustic charm.

My family often makes this dish for Sunday dinner with roasted heirloom potatoes from Open Harvest grocery in Lincoln, Nebraska, and fresh green beans. My wife loves to pair Arbor Day Farm Dechaunac – a dry red wine — with this dish and little Ruby and I enjoy a cup of warm Kimmel Orchard Cider with dinner.

Here at Lied Lodge, we source our bison from Dave Hutchinson at The Perfect “10” Ranch on his sprawling estate of native grasses in north central Nebraska. Home cooks can purchase directly from the organic bison ranch by web, phone, or email.

And with that, the recipe is all yours. Drop me a line and let me know if your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

Until next time,
Chef Matthew Taylor

Perfect ”10″ Ranch Bison Meatloaf
Ingredients:

2 lbs ground buffalo meat (bison)
3 garlic cloves  finely minced
2 eggs, beaten
¼ medium yellow onion, small dice
½ lb smoked bacon
½ cup  bread crumbs
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup fresh thyme pulled from stem
¼ tsp oregano
¼ cup fresh basil chopped
¼ cup fresh sage chopped
½ tsp curry powder
Freshly cracked sea salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan heated to medium-high heat, add the chopped bacon and cook until rendered of most fat and starting to brown. Pour off only half of the fat. Add the garlic and onions, sauté until very aromatic, about 3 min. Add the chopped herbs and curry powder, cook for another 2-3 min. until aroma is very assertive. Remove from heat and reserve.

In a small mixing bowl, add bread crumbs. Pour the milk over the bread crumbs and let them soak for 5 minutes, squeeze off excess milk. 

In a large mixing bowl add together the all ingredients and mix well. Prepare your bison into a workable loaf and cover with 4-5 bacon slices. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Let bison meatloaf rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before cutting.

Slice, serve, enjoy!

Matthew Taylor is the Executive Chef at Lied Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska, where local, sustainable entrees are served daily. Have a specific recipe you’d like to see featured on this blog? Let us know.

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