Tonight's Dinner: Meatloaf cupcakes with cheesy mashed potato frosting recipe

I love meatloaf. It's one of those classic dishes that's great by itself or slathered in gravy. But my son's not such a big fan. Like his father, he's not wild about the thick slabs of ground beef. They're heavy and don't usually have enough sauces or ketchup hiding it. So recently I decided to turn my meatloaf into cupcakes. And any kid (and most adults) will tell you that cupcakes just aren't complete without frosting. So I decided to turn some boring old potatoes into a bright orange cheesy mashed variety that would serve as the perfect frosting. The screams of delight could be heard through the whole house. By cooking the meat in a muffin tin, my son could have a whole meatloaf all to himself and then lick the "frosting" off his fingers. He was in heaven, and since he finished his dinner, so was I.

Meatloaf cupcakes with cheesy mashed potato frosting

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, pork, bread crumbs, egg, soy sauce, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of pepper and blue cheese until well combined. Shape meat mixture into large balls and drop into each cup of the muffin tin. (If you have a few empty muffin cups, just fill those half full with water.) Cook the meat cupcakes for 25-30 minutes or until they're no longer pink in the center.
3. While the "cupcakes" cook, boil the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
4. Whisk the cream cheese and cheddar cheese into the potatoes until melted and fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Place each meat cupcake on a serving platter and "frost" with the cheesy mashed potatoes. Serve immediately.

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