Call it the indiscretion of youth, but as a child, I could be known as an odd eater. It all started with hot dog skins. I ate just the casing, and left the succulent meat behind. I loved fat, and would routinely collect the bits cut off the pork chops my mother made for dinner. (And no, I was not an obese child!) I would never touch meatloaf, telling my family it was unnatural to eat meat molded to resemble a loaf of bread. The list goes on. But now in my advanced years, my opinions of food have certainly changed, and I for one cannot get enough of meatloaf.

And it makes the best leftovers! Stacked into a triple-decker delight, a club sandwich if you will, sandwiching some rich, scallion laced mashed potatoes, meatloaf makes an almost better meal the next day. Yes, it is true that here I am taking the “meat resembling bread” ideology to a new extreme, but with a meal as comforting and simple as meatloaf and mash– why not?

I was watching PBS last week, and a cooking show came on, showing Michel Richard making a compacted Napoleon of sashimi grade tuna, and roast loin of veal. It was his take on the classic Vitello Tonnato. The show inspired me, not to make his Vitello Tonnato Napoleon, but rather a slightly less hoity-toity stack of goodies– a layered club of meatloaf and mash. I wonder what Chef Richard would think of that…

Now some of you may be asking yourselves, wouldn’t it just be simpler to spoon the potato onto a plate; doesn’t she have to take this sandwich apart before eating? And I guess I would have to say, where is the fun in that? Sometimes it’s necessary to keep that bit of fancy in your food. Even if it is only for meatloaf and mash.