Provence Meat Loaf

• 1/2 pound Pederson's Applewood Smoked Bacon (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 1/2 each Brown Onion (small diced)
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Garlic (minced)
• 1/2 pound Shiitake Mushroom (remove & discard stem & slice thin)
• 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 each Large Gala Apple (peeled, cored & diced)
• 2 pound Ground Beef
• 2 each Large Eggs Blue Roquefort Cheese (crumbled into large pieces)
• 1/2 pound Blue Roquefort Cheese (crumbled into large pieces)
• 1 cup Fresh Sourdough bread crumbs (crust removed, minced in food processor)
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley (minced)
• 2 tablespoon Fresh Thyme (minced)
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary (minced)
• 1 tablespoon Reggiano Parmigiano cheese

1. 1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 2. Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, add bacon and cook until browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon remove cooked bacon and set aside. Pour bacon drippings into a measuring cup.
3. 3. Pour 2-3 Tablespoons of bacon dripping back into the heavy bottom sauce pan, return to heat, add onions, mushrooms, garlic, kosher salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables ( add more bacon dripping if necessary) are cooked through add diced gala apples and saute until tender. Remove vegetable and apple mixture from heat and chill.
4. 4. In a large bowl mix ground beef, cooked bacon, sauteed vegetables, apples, eggs, Roquefort cheese, bread crumbs and fresh herbs just until well combined, do not over mix.
5. 5. Place mixture into a 12" x 5" loaf pan, press down gently, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake meat loaf for 1 hour or until internal temp of 140 degrees. Remove meat loaf from oven and let rest in pan for 10-15 minutes.
6. 6. Pour off fat from loaf pan. Invert meat loaf onto platter and slice.

bacon, brown onion, fresh garlic, shiitake, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, apple, ground beef, eggs, roquefort cheese, bread crumbs, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, rosemary, parmigiano cheese

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/provence-meat-loaf-1208014 (may not work)