Cajun Style Meatloaf Patties

This recipe is adapted from Rachel Ray's Cajun Style Meatloaf Patties found in her Book Of 10 cookbook.

Cajun Style Meatloaf Patties
Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/8 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt & freshly ground pepper
(I omitted the salt)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
(I omitted this as well. Nutmeg & beef? Not in my book.)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
(I used 1 tablespoon in the non-stick skillet and felt that I would omit it completely the next go round)

Gravy:

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock
(I used a Knorr beef boullion cube with 1 cup water)
1/4 cup heavy cream
(I substituted 1/2 & 1/2 for the heavy cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
(I substituted 1/8 cup dried because it was raining and I didn't feel like venturing out into the garden)

Rachel says to:

"Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the meat. Fill the well with the bread crumbs and dampen them with the milk. Pour the egg over the bread crumbs and then add salt, pepper, the Worcestershire, nutmeg, tomato paste, green peppers, garlic, and scallions. Mix together and form into 4 large oval patties, 3/4 inch thick."

Teresa says to:

"Dump all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your clean hands. Form 4 large oval patties, 3/4 inch thick."

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with the vegetable oil. Again, I think you can do with out this completely in a nonstick pan. (Avoiding grease splatters that still escape even when using a splatter screen :) Fry the meatloaf patties for 7 minutes on each side. This timing was really accurate so I wouldn't deviate from it.

Remove the meatloaf patties to a platter, tent with foil, and return the pan to the heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, the onions, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes and then sprinkle the onions with the flour. Cook the flour for 1 minute and then whisk in the stock and the heavy cream. Bring the gravy to a bubble. Taste and season with salt & pepper. Stir in the parsley and remove the gravy from the heat.

We served these Cajun-Style Meatloaf Patties with veggies from our garden and field, corn on-the-cob, steamed green beans and cherry tomatoes.
When David sat down to dinner he said, "What did I do to deserve this?" The gravy is delicious. Really. I'd lick the pan clean if I was by myself in the kitchen! :) This was a 4 spoon recipe for our family.