Monster Hands And Mash

Monster Hands And Mash is an easy and tasty meal that’s healthy and ready in less than an hour.  The kids will love the meatloaf-shaped hand that’s topped with ketchup ‘blood’ and nestled on top of a pile of mashed potatoes.

Platter of Halloween dinner made of meatloaf in the shape of a hand with tomato sauce 'blood' and onion fingernails atop a bed of mashed potatoes - Monster Hands And Mash

You want your kids to eat a healthy meal before Halloween celebrations, but the kids only want candy.  Why not offer them something fun, a bit spooky, and nutritious?  Monster Hands And Mash (or meatloaf and mashed potatoes) is exactly what’s needed to keep everyone happy this Halloween.

It’s a battle of wills that’s as old as the holiday itself.  The kids are too excited to wait around for dinner.  You can’t do another pizza dinner.  You can prep this meal ahead of time and cook it when you get home from work.  You’ll have the family eating in less than an hour – without the battle of wills.  The kids will love digging into the spooky, cut-off monster hand.

Ingredients Needed

Another great thing about this recipe is that you probably have everything in your pantry or refrigerator.

  • Eggs
  • Onions, garlic, russet potatoes
  • Italian breadcrumbs – you can also use cracker crumbs, plain bread crumbs, or panko.
  • Milk, butter, and your favorite cheese – I used mozzarella.
  • Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard
  • Dried thyme, salt, and pepper
  • Brown sugar

Platter of Halloween dinner made of meatloaf in the shape of a hand with tomato sauce 'blood' and onion fingernails atop a bed of mashed potatoes - Monster Hands And Mash

Steps For Making Monster Hands And Mash

  1. Make the meatloaf by mixing together all of the ingredients, except the ground beef.
  2. Add the ground beef and lightly mix to combine.
  3. Mold the meat mixture into the shape of a hand.
  4. Mix together the topping ingredients and slather on the base of the hand so that it looks like blood.
  5. Decorate the tips of the fingers with onion slivers to resemble fingernails.
  6. Bake.
  7. While the meatloaf bakes, boil the potatoes until tender and drain.
  8. Combine the milk, butter, salt, and pepper in the hot potato pot.  
  9. Add the potatoes and whip until fluffy.
  10. Spoon the mash into a serving bowl and top with the monster’s hand.
  11. Serve hot and enjoy the happy squeals of your little ones.

Platter of Halloween dinner made of meatloaf in the shape of a hand with tomato sauce 'blood' and onion fingernails atop a bed of mashed potatoes - Monster Hands And Mash

Looking for more spooky recipes for the kids?  Here are a few to consider:

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Monster Hands And Mash

Monster Hands And Mash is an easy and tasty meal that’s healthy and ready in less than an hour.  The kids will love the meatloaf-shaped hand that’s topped with ketchup ‘blood’ and nestled on top of a pile of mashed potatoes.

  • Author: Millie Brinkley
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4
  • Category: Main Dish - Beef
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the monster hands:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small onion, minced – BUT save one small strip of onion to make ‘fingernails’ out of
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 large clove)
  • 1 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2-inch cube of cheese – mozzarella, cheddar, or swiss

For the topping:

  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard

For the mash:

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Mix the monster hand (meatloaf):

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray or use a silicone mat on the sheet.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the egg, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, milk, Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, dried thyme, pepper, and salt, until well combined.

Dump the ground beef into the bowl.  Use your hands to lightly mix the beef into the wet ingredients.  Take care not to overmix or compress the ground beef.  This will make your meatloaf tough.

Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet.  Mold the meat into the shape of a hand.

Tuck the cube of cheese into the ‘palm’ of the hand.

Make the topping:

In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.  Spoon the mixture onto the base of the hand so that it resembles blood.

Cut the onion petal into five slivers and place one sliver onto the fingertips like nails.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, make the mash:

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender – about 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes.

In the same pot, pour in the milk and add the butter.  Warm over medium heat until the butter has melted.

Add the potatoes back to the pot and use a potato masher or electric mixer to mash the potatoes until smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the potatoes into the bottom of a large serving platter.

Use a spatula to carefully lift the monster hand off of the baking sheet and place it on top of the potatoes.

Serve hot.

Keywords: monster hands and mash, Halloween recipes, scary food, kid-friendly recipes, meatloaf, mashed potatoes