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Turkey Meatloaf

The turkey, shaped and ready for the oven.
Steve Proffitt, NPR /
/
The turkey, shaped and ready for the oven.
The meatloaf, cooked and ready to devour.
Steve Proffitt, NPR /
/
The meatloaf, cooked and ready to devour.

A Tiki carved out of meatloaf. It'll be the centerpiece of your buffet table and the talk of the town.

9 pounds ground turkey

3 pounds sweet (or spicy) Italian sausage

2 packs of Lawry's meatloaf seasoning mix

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons ground pepper

3 cups bread crumbs

6 large eggs

2 8 x 4 inch loaf pans

1 10 x 14 inch disposable, tin roasting pan

Squeeze sausage from casings and add to turkey, bread crumbs, seasonings and well-beaten eggs. Fill each of the two small loaf pans with mixture. Fill the large tin with the remaining mixture.Get creative and shape it like the face of a Tiki god. Smooth the meat's surface with olive oil "painted on" with a spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes or until a probing meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Drain off fat and remove from pans. Let sit 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve only the smaller loaves.

Make a "face"on the Tiki loaf by sticking maraschino cherries and pineapple chunks on with multicolored toothpicks. In a very special raised serving dish or a vintage electric skillet, prop the Tiki up by leaning him on a tall glass fixed in a bed of mashed potatoes dyed orange. Garnish with more maraschino cherries and pineapple chunks (lightly tossed in yellow food coloring) and lit votives sunk into the mashed potatoes.

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