Turkey Meatloaf and Sweet Potato Cup Cakes

…wrapped in bacon!

What better way to eat a meat cup cake? Bacon makes the best wrapper!

I have to admit, I was a little deceptive when I told The Man that we were having meatloaf for dinner. He was less than excited for a loaf of meat. But it was a pleasant surprise when he saw these cute little guys!

I got this idea from The Rachael Ray Show.

{I only have a few channels so I make sure to hit the real important shows. Including The Price Is Right…} 

I also have to admit that it was a little difficult to get my kiddos on board when I presented it to them as “a cup cake”… at first they were ecstatic about eating cup cakes for dinner, then the look of confusion set in when they saw the bacon…

{They are bright kids, and saw right through me}

Luckily they aren’t super picky, and enjoyed their meat-cakes!

The “frosting” to these little bad boys is simply mashed sweet potatoes!

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes…

I don’t know about you, but I thought that sweet potatoes were suppose to be orange… hmmm…

Throw these in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Continue until the taters are tender.

Saute the diced goodies in a couple tablespoons of EVOO until soft and tender.

Use an ice cream scooper to place a heaping scoop of meat into each bacon lined cup.

Repeat for all 12 cups. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

Back to the frosting…

Drain the potatoes and throw them into a food processor{or a large bowl}.

Add buttermilk, honey, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend in the processor until smooth {or mash with a potato masher}.

So these guys turned out to be more yellow than orange… {what have I been eating at Thanksgiving for all these years!?!?}

Sweet fluffy frosting…

YUM!!

makes 12 cup cakes

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 onion; diced
2 stalks of celery; diced
1/2 granny smith apple; diced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 egg
12 strips of bacon
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp nutmeg
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until potatoes are tender. Saute onion, celery, and apple in 2 tbsp of EVOO until soft and tender. In a large bowl combine turkey, bread crumbs, poultry seasoning, egg, sauteed onion, celery, and apple. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Use hands to mix thoroughly.

Cut 2 inches off of the end of the bacon strips. Place the small piece on the bottom of each muffin cup. Use the rest of the bacon to wrap around the muffin cups. Use an ice cream scoop to place meatloaf mixture into bacon lined cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from muffin tin to paper towels.

Drain cooked potatoes and place into a food processor. Add buttermilk, honey, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Blend till smooth. Frost the tops of each meatloaf with the mashed sweet potatoes.

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