Goldie's Meat Loaf Cup Cakes

Adapted from Throw Me a Bone: 50 Healthy, Canine Taste-Tested Recipes for Snacks, Meals, and Treats by Cooper Gillespie.

Yield: 12 muffins
Serving Size: 2 muffins

Sally's friend Susan Benett makes these for her dog, Goldie. They look like chocolate cake with cream cheese icing, but taste so much better—plus if you add some greens, like peas or green beans, it's a perfectly balanced meat-and-potatoes meal. If you have young humans, they'll get a kick out of making these (and we dogs will get a big kick out of eating them!)

Of course you can make the meat loaf in the more traditional loaf pan and serve the mashed potatoes on the side, but why would you?

Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
2 slices white or whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup milk, water, or beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup or barbecue sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 eggshells, finely crushed
2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

For the Mashed Potatoes:

2 pounds small red potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled if desired, and quartered
1 to 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Blueberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly greasd 12 muffin tin cups.

Place a medium skillet over medium heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the garlic and oregano and cook until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

While the garlic is cooling, soak the bread in the liquid for a few minutes until moistened. Squeeze the bread, and drain off and discard any remaining liquid. Add the bread to the cooled garlic mixture.

Add the ketchup, parsley, eggs, eggshells, and ground beef, and mix by hand, until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Divide into 12 equal portions and place in prepared muffin tin cups. Bake until the mixture is firm.

For the Mashed Potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and place in a medium mixing bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher, gradually incorporating the oil and cheese. Ice each muffin with a generous amount of mashed potato. Top each with a blueberry. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

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