For some people, meat loaf is the food they ate when there was nothing left in the house, or when there was a babysitter, or when there had been a crisis and a neighbor had sent over food. At my house, though, it was a very special treat. My mom, also a terrific cook (and a great mom), had a “thing” about meat loaf: I think she considered it a bit declasse, so we had to beg her to make it. Occasionally she’d succumb to our pleas, but she couldn’t understand why we liked it so much. Now she confesses to enjoying it. And no wonder: Wait till you try this recipe. It’s denser than most meat loaves, and it tastes great the next day in a sandwich with sauteed onions and ketchup.