I haven’t taken leave of my senses although the title might have made you do a double take. I was inspired by Chocolate Suze’s meat cupcakes here and decided to make a version of them. I used Nigella’s Mini Meatloaves recipe from Nigella Express with some additions, made some mash and fashioned some puff pastry decorations and there you have it, a savoury cupcake that is unashamedly so without any sweetness, masquerading in a sweet cupcake disguise.
Instead of buying a tube of sausage meat as it looked a bit dire, I bought some nice sausages and skinned them. Skinning sausages is rather therapeutic but then you’re left with a mass of skins looking like rather unsexy deflated condoms.
These can be eaten cold or hot, however you’d prefer but should be served with tomato sauce. You could also toy with browning the potato on top like a potato pie although I didn’t have the time or patience to do this.
Meatloaf and mash cupcakes
Makes 12-15 cupcakes
Meatloaf filling
- 500g minced beef
- 500g sausage meat
- 80g quick cook oats
- 70g A.1. Steak sauce
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing really well with your hands or a fork
3. Divide mixture into cupcake liners and then press firmly to reduce holes and spaces and give it an even top (these will not rise)
4. Cook in oven for 30 minutes
5. Top with mash potato piped using a star nozzle (I used the recipe for mash here omitting the cheese and garlic)
6. Top with puff pastry hearts
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson recipe for Mini Meatloaves from Nigella Express
Pastry hearts
- 1/2 sheet puff pastry
- egg white to brush
1. Cut out puff pastry hearts using heart butter. Preheat oven to 210c. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes and then brush with egg white. Bake for 10 minutes.
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16 Comments | Add your own
That is so cute! My housemates are completely sick of my cakes, but I’m totally going to incorporate something similar (I’ll have to adapt, as I’m veggie) into dinner! So cool!
bwahaha your meat cupcakes look awesome dude!
Wintery goodness! Its all of a sudden turned freezing in melb and that mash is making me drool a little… mmm… mash…
Hi Rosa-I’m sure your cupcakes will be fabulous! It could definitely be as gorgeous in a vegetarian version
Hi chocolatesuze-thanks and thanks for the idea too!
Hi Maria-Thanks!
Looks like we’ve got a bit of wintry weather here today with a 11 degree morning. Brrrrr!! 
These are so different and wonderful!
this is a stroke of genius and i’m not exaggerating–what a terrific idea! i don’t need an excuse to eat meat loaf, but this would make the experience much more fun.
Hi Patricia-Thankyou so much! I like that they look like pretty cupcakes but are man friendly
Hi Grace-Thanks! That’s quite a compliment especially coming from you
It definitely makes eating meatloaf much more fun 
Gosh, what’s not to like here?! Meat loaf, potato mash, pastry?! You mentioned cutting out the heart pastry puffs with heart butter. I was confused by this.. then I wondered if you meant “cutter”? I’m not trying to be smart, honestly
–it could be a typo..but if I am unaware of some special cutting technique then I’d like to know 
I would have loved to have seen the meatloaves underneath too.. though I guess you see one you’ve seen them all? Or did they look unattractive? I think these would look very impressive on a dinner plate served to guests. I need to get myself a piping bag again.. I don’t have one at present. Lovely food Lorraine!
Hi Maria-Oops you were right, that’s a typo, it’s a heart cutter. I definitely have a butter fetish
Let me correct that now…
Hehe they weren’t quite as photogenic, not ugly but I don’t think meatloaf is generally the most beautiful looking item. So I left it at the potato swirl top. But they did taste wonderful with tomato sauce and I think adding the sunflower seeds gave them such a nice crunch.
I’d definitely recommend buying a good bag, they last for ages. I used cheaper ones and they split or broke until I invested in a good bag for $14
Oooh how cute! I bet you could brown them with the mini cooking torches? I have one, have never used it…my husband thinks it’s his toy..I’m going to snatch it back!
I’m still marveling over this, showed it to my husband, he is amazed LOL. I stumbled across it while reading the Banana bread contest results and someone mentioned this in their blog about banana bread…I can’t believe I never thought of this. One of my mother’s hand-down recipes that’s been a staple for us has always been the meat and potato pie (a meatloaf type in pie plate with mashed potatoes on top, then a mushroom sauce and melted cheddar and bacon on top of that, mmm)…But these! Wow, so creative and adorable
Hi Jitterbugh-Funny you say that as I tried and it just burnt them black around the edges. I would’ve thought that might have worked though. Men just love those torches don’t they
That recipe sounds fantastic, imagine that in a cupcake form!
LOL…I should have figured you had tried it already. What about, hmm…some type of sugar glaze over the potatoes? Something that wouldn’t clash too bad, a savory sweet kind of thing..I’m sure there’s some way to do it with flame! hehe thanks for the response
I have been devouring all the banana recipes, thanks for all the hard work you put into that!!! What a beautiful job you did putting them together!
Hi Jitterbugh-Perhaps just sticking them in the oven would be good? I think that’s how they do it for potato pies. Although it’s nowhere near as fun as a blowtorch and whilst you can get a blowtorch, it’s harder to get them to bake
Thankyou so much! It’s so lovely of you to say so
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[...] And I have to thank Lorraine, from Not Quite Nigella, for the inspiration for tonight’s meal – check out her version (hers are much prettier than mine!) here. [...]
[...] eating and cooking adventures of a Sydney girl who loves cakes, cooking, Nigella Lawson and eating.http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/04/28/meatloaf-and-mash-cupcakes/Cupcakes Take The Cake: meatloaf cupcakes!… Iron Stef’s blog – these are mini meatloaf cupcakes [...]
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