Meatloaf ranks high among America’s favorite comfort foods. In fact, when Good Housekeeping magazine conducted a food-favorites poll a few years ago, meatloaf came in 7th among all dishes.

Given its widespread popularity, one might conclude that American meatloaf has been around for centuries. Not true. Its first appearance didn’t occur until the early 1900s in a cookbook by Sarah Tyson Rorer, a noted Philadelphia cooking teacher and cookbook author, whose biography appears in the Encyclopedia Americana.

Her recipe ingredients were much as they are today: ground beef (with pork added), onions, herbs, breadcrumbs and eggs, with strips of bacon across the top of the loaf.

Meat in loaf form actually had earlier, colonial precedence in the form of Scrapple, a pork-based mixture preferred by German-Americans in the Philadelphia area, where you’ll still find this very regional dish on many Philly restaurant breakfast menus. Scrapple’s precise ingredients were usually and preferably unknown, and its taste was, for want of a better term, acquired. Its resemblance to actual meatloaf was in form only.

While Rorer was America’s meatloaf pioneer just a little over 100 years ago, the dish in various forms had existed in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia for many centuries. Meat balls were round, miniature first cousins of meatloaf, containing many of the same ingredients, like the ubiquitous “klosse” in Germany and Austria. Other countries introduced a few of their own national ingredients but the meatloaf essence remained relatively unchanged.

Here in the United States, variations over the years were bound to creep in, first in form. The loaf remains standard, but I’ve seen meatloaf in ring molds and individual ones baked in muffin pans. Stuffed meatloaf has become popular, with any number of filler ingredients lodged in the center.

Often seen in Europe, and now here, is the inclusion of hard-boiled eggs in the center, which makes for attractive slices showing white and yellow rings.

There are now nearly as many meatloaf recipes as there are kitchen cooks who make them. Beyond the basic ingredients mentioned earlier, you might encounter horseradish, heavy cream, Worcestershire, mushrooms, celery, peppers, pickles, spinach, olives, potatoes, tomatoes, assorted cheeses, even cold cuts. The variations are endless, with practically any ingredient being added to any ground meat, which leads to another variation.

The meat needn’t necessarily be beef. Often ground pork or sausage is added, or the meat can be stand-alone: pork, veal, lamb, ham, venison or other game, poultry or seafood. Whatever is used, in James Beard’s opinion, “A good meatloaf should be similar to a good country pate, pleasantly seasoned, and firm but not dry.”

Careful attention should be paid to the binder being used. Some classic old recipes call for crumbled bread, even soaked in milk. But dissolving this evenly into ground meat can be a challenge. Basic unseasoned dried breadcrumbs work best, even if Paula Deen uses quick-cooking oats, and others call for crushed saltines.

Then there’s a topping sauce for moisture and added flavor. A trusted standby is a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. If you decide to be more adventurous, add apple cider vinegar for a little bite, or cayenne pepper or Tabasco for a blast of heat.

Finally, a must-have finish is a draping of bacon strips criss-crossed over the top of the loaf. There’s no substitute for this added flavor.

Here’s a recipe that captures the appeal of good old-fashioned homemade meatloaf, but adds a few ingredients to give that favorite flavor some extra dimension.

Gerber, a Cocoa Beach resident, is a former restaurant critic for Fairpress, a newspaper serving Fairfield, Connecticut, and Westchester, New York. For 24 years, he owned and managed a large, award-winning waterfront restaurant on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

TASTY MEATLOAF

Serves 4

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

½ cup sweet onion, chopped

½ cup bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup unseasoned, dry breadcrumbs

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh thyme, chopped

1 pound ground chuck beef

6 strips bacon

For the topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Saute the onion and bell pepper in butter and olive oil until limp, then put into a large mixing bowl.

Mix the onion and pepper together with all the other ingredients (except the beef), until well combined.

Add the ground beef, thoroughly combining with the other ingredients. Use your hands for best results.

Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan, or form into a loaf on a baking sheet.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Brush the ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf, then criss-cross the top with bacon strips.

Cook in the pre-heated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and until the bacon is crisp.

Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.