Meat Loaf and Roasted Plum Tomatoes

This recipe from The Foothills Cuisine of Balckberry Farm.
Delicious yet humble, meat loaf was usually made with bits of whatever scraps of meat were left over from previous preparations and meals, and it was often extended with bread crumbs.
Mountain families canned as many tomatoes as possible during the summer so that when winter came, they could reach into the pantry and pull out a jar of “put-up” summer. If you lack a similar supply, reach for a can of store-bought good-quality plum tomatoes.

For the meat loaf:

1 tbsp. flavorful fat such as bacon fat or butter, or grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1½ lb. ground beef
8 oz. bulk pork breakfast sausage
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. ground mace
2 ½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tbsp. heavy cream
Mushroom Ketchup (recipe link) , for glazing and serving

For the roasted tomatoes:

2 tbsp. pork fat or other flavorful fat
12 whole canned peeled Italian tomatoes, drained
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 3-inch fresh thyme sprigs
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To prepare the meat loaf, in a medium skillet, heat the fat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool. Add the beef, sausage, eggs, sour cream or crème fraîche, Worcestershire, mace, garlic powder, bread crumbs, and cream and mix thoroughly but gently, without overly compacting the meat.

On a rimmed baking sheet, mound the meat mixture into a loaf that is about 10 by 5 inches.

Bake until the center of the loaf registers 150°F on a meat thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes; about 15 minutes before the end of cooking, brush some of the mushroom ketchup over the top of the meat loaf (and begin the tomatoes; see the next step). Remove the meat loaf from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Let the loaf rest for at least 10 minutes.

To prepare the roasted tomatoes, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat the fat over medium-high heat until it sizzles. Add the tomatoes, turn to coat them in the fat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and arrange them in a single layer. Tuck the thyme sprigs and garlic among the tomatoes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the tomatoes are very soft and lightly charred on the bottoms, 10 to 12 minutes. Discard the thyme and garlic. Serve hot.

To serve, slice the meat loaf and arrange on warmed plates with the tomatoes alongside. Pass the ketchup.