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1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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2
Pour the oil into a saute pan and set over medium-high heat.
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3
Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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4
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
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5
In a mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, thyme, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and milk.
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6
Place the ground meat into another bowl and pour the egg mixture over the meat.
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7
Add the saltines, parsley, onion, and garlic to the bowl.
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8
Season with salt and pepper.
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9
Roll up your sleeves, and knead the meat together with the other ingredients until well blended (if you like, cook a small portion of the mixture in a pan, taste, and adjust seasoning).
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10
Transfer to a cookie sheet and form into a loaf.
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11
If using the bacon, wrap the slices lengthwise over the top and tuck them under the loaf, to completely cover the meat.
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12
Bake for 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 160 degrees.
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13
If the bacon on the top is not as crisp as you would like, put the meatloaf under the broiler for a few minutes.
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14
Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
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15
Slice and serve with mushroom gravy (recipe#66984) and mashed potatoes recipe#104098.
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16
Mushroom Gravy (recipe#66984): Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat.
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17
Add the mushrooms and saute until brown, about 7 minutes.
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18
Stir in the flour; it will become very pasty.
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19
Cook this roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
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20
It will stick to the bottom of the pan a little bit; that's okay.
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21
Stir in the stock, wine, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
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22
Cook the sauce at a lively simmer for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly and scraping any crusty bits that adhere to the bottom of the pan.
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23
Serve in a sauceboat.
