When you turn on the oven to cook, try to use it for everything from the main meal to the vegetables and pudding. Green vegetables like sliced courgettes, shredded cabbage or sliced beans can cook in a small casserole dish with a dash of water and a knob of butter for about 30 minutes, while puddings can often be cooked underneath.

Ingredients

• 700 grams lean beef mince
• 300 grams lean sausage meat
• 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• ½ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup evaporated milk or cream
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• Apricot and walnut glaze
• ½ cup apricot sauce or jam
• ¼ cup roughly chopped nuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºc.
2. Mix the beef mince, sausage meat, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, apricots, parsley, rosemary, eggs, evaporated milk and sherry together well.
3. Using wet hands shape the mixture into a large loaf shape and place in a small roasting dish or lasagna-style baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Mix together the ingredients for the Apricot and Walnut Glaze. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and spoon over the glaze. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC and return the meatloaf to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the glaze has browned.

Roast Vegetables

1. Toss the vegetables in a dash of oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Place into the oven while cooking the Apricot and Walnut Glazed Meatloaf.

Cooks Tips

If your roasting dish is large enough, toss the vegetables around the meatloaf and cook everything in one dish. This allows the veges to absorb the flavours of the meatloaf. Garnish with parsley if serving this dish at the table. Serve with gravy or extra apricot sauce.