I saw a mention online to a NYC restaurant that served Bill Blass’ meatloaf. My first thought was, “Bill Blass? Meatloaf? Seriously?” My next thought was that I really didn’t know much about the man so a quick jump over to Wikipedia and low and behold, Bill Blass was a Midwest boy, the son of a dressmaker and traveling hardware salesman. From there, it was another quick jump over to the recipe. I substituted 1/2 pound of pork for the veal and have to admit, this is about as good as meat loaf gets. My favorite part of any meatloaf though is the leftovers. With a little extra bacon, cheese and more chili sauce on the side, it makes the perfect grilled meatloaf sandwich. — Sarah L.

Recipe after the jump.

Bill Blass’ Meatloaf
1 C chopped celery
1 C chopped onions
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
3 TBSP butter
2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 lb. ground pork (recipe calls for 1/2 lb. ground pork and 1/2 lb. ground veal)
1/3 c sour cream
1/2 C breadcrumbs (recipe calls for soft but I just used plain dry breadcrumbs)
pinch dried thyme
pinch dried marjoram
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 C Heinz Chili Sauce
5 slices bacon (recipe called for 3. I used more for leftover sandwiches)

Preheat oven to 350F and oil bottom and sides of an 8×4 loaf pan. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the celery and onion in butter. When soft, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Add the meats, parsely, sour cream, bread crumbs and spices to the skillet. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and Worcestershire together and add to skillet. Combine all ingredients with our hands, then mold into a loaf shape and transfer to the pan. Reshape as needed, then top with the chili sauce and bacon slices. Cook at least one hour, until browned and heated through.