Cheddar Stuffed Meat Loaf

So ... I'm doing another take on my meatloaf.  Making a cheeseburger meatloaf tonight.  Here's what I did ...

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic (or to taste ... we just happen to LOVE it.)
1 egg
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper
6-8 ounces of cheddar cheese block
Ketchup
1 medium cast iron pan, oiled or sprayed with your favorite cooking non-stick spray (I used a small drizzle of Canola oil)
1 stove top of your choice
1 oven set to 425 of your choice ... that will fit your pan

Into the food processor put the peeled and roughly cut onion and peeled garlic. Mince thoroughly, but don't liquefy. Using a spatula, scrape this into a large mixing bowl. Add your egg, and whisk to break up the yolk and incorporate into the onion/garlic mixture.  (You're making a slurry here. This way, everything will be mixed before we add the ground beef, ensuring a tender finished product.) Add the Worcestershire sauce and as much salt and pepper as you would like.

Mix just until the slurry is incorporated throughout the meat. Don't squish, pound, beat, and decimate your ground beef. It will not have a good texture if it's over mixed.

Divide the mixture into 2 portions and place the first half into the cast iron pan that you've "greased" however you would like. As noted above, I used a small drizzle of canola oil.

Cut the block of cheese into 2 cubes. Then I cut those cubes in half. Then I cut those squares into triangles. I had 8 triangles. Place 5 of the cheese triangles around the pan so that the longer side of the triangles are making a pentagon, and the points of the cheese look like a star. This will leave you with 3 pieces of cheese, place those in the center of the pentagon.

Press the rest of the meat mixture on top of the bottom half, sandwiching the cheese inside. I then worked it around so that the cheese was completely covered and all the edges of the bottom and the top were fully sealed. Then cover the top in good old fashioned ketchup.  (I wish I had done half in ketchup and half in A-1, but that may be something for next week...)

I placed it on the stovetop on high for about 5 minutes, then placed it into the 425 oven and set the timer for 40 minutes, which brought it to exactly 160 degrees inside.  I let it sit on the stove top to rest, and I used my baster to suction out the excess grease from the pan.

We'll be having it with broccoli, and Mommy is having a Crystal Light Apple Tini with tequila added. It makes it MUCH better than the mix alone. Both kids are enjoying milk, and Daddy is having sweet tea.