Master the meatloaf

Meatloaf is such an American classic that you would think there would be a settled, go-to recipe. Not so.

Meatloaf ranked in the top five online recipe searches last year; it was second on Google and fourth on Yahoo. The relentless pursuit of a better meatloaf doesn’t surprise cookbook author and Charlotte native James Villas.

“People just don’t understand meatloaf. They really think it’s throwing a lot of garbage together,” says Villas, who offers seven recipes for meatloaf in his new cookbook, “From the Ground Up.” “You have to take it seriously. There’s a whole philosophy behind meatloaf.”

There are many divides in the meatloaf debate: Free form or loaf pan? Beef, pork, veal or poultry? In what combination? Coarse ground or finely ground? Ketchup glaze or not? Gravy or no gravy? Bacon or no bacon? (Well, nobody really debates that last one.)

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