Meat Loaf Club Sandwiches

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 14 mins Cook Time: 26 mins

Ingredients

• 10 slices bacon, 2 slices coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (less if you choose)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 lb lean ground sirloin
• 12 slices bread or 12 slices sourdough bread
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, stemmed and chopped
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 bibb lettuce or 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• cornichon, for serving
• mustard, for serving

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 375°f
• 2 line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• 3 in a food processor, pulse the chopped bacon with the garlic cloves until minced.
• 4 add the bread crumbs, parmesan, milk, egg, thyme, rosemary and hot sauce, season generously with salt and pepper and process to a paste.
• 5 transfer the paste to a medium bowl and knead in the ground sirloin.
• 6 preheat a griddle or grill pan; spread the meat mixture evenly on 4 slices of the bread.
• 7 top with another 4 slices of bread and brush both sides of the sandwiches with olive oil.
• 8 brush the remaining 4 slices of bread lightly with olive oil and set aside.
• 9 place the sandwiches on the griddle and top with a heavy skillet.
• 10 cook over moderate heat, turning the sandwiches once, until they are golden, about 6 minutes total.
• 11 transfer the sandwiches to the rack and bake until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes longer.
• 12 meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook the remaining 8 slices of bacon until crisp, about 6 minutes; drain on paper towels.
• 13 toast the remaining 4 slices of bread on the griddle until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
• 14 in a small bowl, blend the mayonnaise with the chopped chipotle chile.
• 15 spread the mayonnaise on the meatloaf sandwiches and top with the bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and toasted bread.
• 16 cut each sandwich in half; secure each half with a toothpick and serve with cornichons and mustard.