Mike Ditka’s Steakhouses are a Chicago institution. The ball coach made famous on the gridiron and on SNL (da Bears) has a passion for food. I have had meatloaf before, but his chef takes this humble dish to the next level with his meat choices (fillet and prime rib) and the addition of cognac. I stayed more classic; who can afford the meat they use? Here is my tribute to their dish. I hope you like it.
1/2 pound ground beef (Happy Family Ranch)
1/2 pound veal
1/2 pound ground pork
3 strips bacon, diced (Happy Family Ranch)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons cognac
1/2 cup bbq sauce plus 1/4 cup for top
Corn bread
Mashed potatoes
French fried onions
Gravy:
3 tablespoons flour
8 ounces beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl,mix meats,
Chop bacon fine and add to bowl.
Add cheese, Panko, spices, onions, cognac, and Bbq sauce.
Mix with hands until combined – don’t over mix!
Top with bbq sauce and some extra bacon
Move mixture to a 5×9 loaf pan.
Bake 65-75 minutes.
Take drippings from pan and add to a small sauté pan. Add flour, stir and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly.
Add one cup of beef broth; let thicken and you have gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, layer
Cornbread
Meatloaf
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Onion straws
Chives
Dan's Food Blog 
Be still my heart! In the old days before my heart went into afib, this would have stayed in my recipe box and become tattered and torn from use. Thanks for posting.
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Thanks I’ll figure out how to do low fat and calories
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Good luck with that! I have been trying to do that for years. One thing I do is pat two chicken breasts with spices, add potatoes, carrots, and onion, add water, and roast for about 3 hours. Us oldies, but goodies have a meal two or three times and then chicken soup,
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