Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Instant Pot recipes are everywhere!  You can't open your Facebook page without reading 10 posts about this appliance.

I jumped on that bandwagon about a year ago when my husband bought me an Instant Pot for my birthday.

Before recently, I used the pot to make ribs, or baked potatoes, or the occasional butter chicken.

Recently, I purchased a new one with a yogurt button, and I have rekindled my romance with the instant pot.

This meal was my first attempt at pot-in-pot cooking, or PIP for hardcore "potheads."

There are lots of dishes and accessories you can use for PIP cooking, but I don't own any of those yet, so I did the best with what I had on hand.  The meal turned out beautifully!

Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Make sure the silicone liner is in the lid of your instant pot. (I learned that the hard way).  Take the liner out of your pot and put it in your work area.  I have found that this cuts down on the chance that food falls down between the liner and the heating element.

I sprayed the liner lightly with sunflower oil cooking spray.  I also sprayed the metal trivet that came with my pot.

Let's start with the potatoes...
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped in large pieces
1 cup of water or some other liquid- I used the leftover pork broth from cooking ribs the other night.
Pour the liquid in the bottom of the liner.  Place the trivet in the liner.  Pile the chunks of potatoes on and around the trivet.  Done.

Let's move on to the meatloaf...
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons milk
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley
4 Tablespoonsish tomato paste
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Mix all this together.  I used an 8 inch cake pan (sprayed heavily with cooking spray).  Smash the mixture into the cake pan.  I also brushed ketchup on top of mine because that's what my mom used to do.

Make a sling out of tin foil and bring it up around the cake pan.  Lower it onto the trivet.  Make sure the sides of the sling fit into the pot.
Put the top on.  Make sure the pot is sealed.  Select manual for 20 minutes.  Walk away.

When the timer goes off, preheat your broiler.  By the time the broiler has preheated, turn off the pot and release the pressure.  Take out the meatloaf carefully and transfer it to the oven.  While it broils, put the following in the liner with the cooked potatoes:
1/2 a stick of butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon of salt
Mash with a potato masher.

Take the meatloaf out of the oven, and serve over mashed potatoes.