All revved up with no place to go

Ah, Meatloaf.

Growing up, one of the few albums played by my oh-so-hip parents was Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell."

I can't even tell you how many rotations that one made on the turntable. (That and the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." Oh, to grow up in the late '70s. This should help explain some things about me.)

It is, sadly, seared into my psyche and I think Meatloaf has been eating away at my brain for the past three decades.

And not in a good way.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, meatloaf. With a lower-case "m."

Maybe your parents tormented you with meatloaf the way mine tormented me with Meatloaf. Both tend to leave a bad aftertaste.

But not the one below.

If you're not a meatloaf fan, this will turn you into one. As for Meatloaf, I make no promises.

Since I like to plan ahead, I started thinking about meatloaf sandwiches. Which meant I needed some good bread. Which meant another visit to the King Arthur Flour Site. I found this great Oatmeal Bread there. The bread's sweetness is a perfect backdrop for the heat of this meatloaf. And you can use a few slices in preparing the meatloaf, too.

P.S. To make it easier on you dear readers (I'm talking about you, Mom and Baubie), I'm ditching the "blogspot" part of this blog's address. You can now get to Flour Girl at flourgrrrl.com. Best to save the finger strength for kneading bread dough, right? Please update your bookmarks.

Bacon-Stuffed Chipotle Meatloaf

Serves 8

3 slices of bread, torn into small bits (I used some of the Oatmeal Loaf, which gives this a nice sweetness)

1/2 cup milk

2 pounds ground meat (I prefer one pound of fattier meat mixed with one pound of leaner meat. I used 80/20 hamburger and 96/4 hamburger. You could use ground pork, veal or turkey.)

1/2 onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, grated

1/3 cup ketchup, plus 1/4 more for brushing on top of loaves

1 egg

3 or more canned chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon or so of sauce (to taste)

3 slices of bacon, preferably maple

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the torn bread and milk. Let sit, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest.

In a large bowl, add the ground meat, grated onion and garlic, ketchup, egg, chipotles and sauce, and salt and pepper. Add in the soaked bread.

Gently mix with your hands until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix or you'll get dense loaves.

Leave the mixture in the bowl but level it so it's flat and even. With your finger, score it into four even pieces.

On a baking sheet, or broiling rack set over a pan, form two of the section into flat loaves, about eight inches long, 4 inches wide and 1 inch thick.

Cut the three slices of bacon in half and lay three of these short halves over each of the loaves.

Take the remaining two portions of meatloaf and pat each on into the same shape as the bottom loaf. Place on top of the bacon, pressing gently to seal. (You're basically making a bacon sandwich, with meatloaf as the bread. How good/deadly does that sound?)

Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with reserved ketchup. Return loaves to oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the loaves reach 160 degrees inside.

Tent with foil and let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Even better, make these in advance and cool in the refrigerator. Just before serving, heat a dry, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Heat thick slabs of meatloaf in the pan until nicely charred and cooked through.

The second loaf can be wrapped and frozen.

Or nibbled on for a bed-time snack.