Instant Pot Stuffed Italian Meatloaf and Smashed Red Potatoes

Instructions

1. Add potatoes, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and chicken broth to the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet over the top of them.
2. Into a large bowl, squeeze the sausage from the casing and discard the casing.  Add ground turkey, panko, milk, egg, Italian seasoning, dried onion, garlic, kosher salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, .  Mix until everything is well combined.  Set aside
3. In a small bowl add the mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan cheese.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Set aside.
4. Place half of the meat mixture on a piece of nonstick tinfoil or parchment paper (spray foil or parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray to make the rolling step easier).  Break off 2 small golf ball pieces and set them to the side (these will be your patches for the ends of the meat once it is rolled).  Flatten it with your hands into a rectangle that is about an inch thick.  Mine was about 9 x 7 inches.  Spread 1/3 cup of pesto over the meat, except for about 1 inch at a short end.  Scatter 1/2 cup spinach leaves over the pesto and press down.  Finally, sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the spinach, again leaving 1 inch at the short end empty.  Beginning at the short end that is not empty, start rolling the meat like a sleeping bag.  Use the foil or parchment to help roll it over itself until you reach the end.  Pinch and press the line to tightly seal up the ingredients inside the meat.  Use the golf ball sizes of meat to patch the 2 ends.  You want everything tightly sealed inside so your cheese doesn’t leak out while it cooks.  Repeat with the second half of meat mixture.
5. Note: It is possible to squeeze both loaves into an 8 quart pressure cooker side by side or if you have 2 trivets of different heights, you could stack both loaves in a 6 quart (of course omitting the potatoes).  Or what I do is cook one for dinner and wrap the other in plastic wrap and put it inside a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze it for another day.
6. Make a boat out of tinfoil for the meatloaf to sit inside.  You don’t want the juices dripping all over the potatoes below (or maybe you do!  It would be flavorful, just quite greasy).  Place meat on a trivet over the potatoes.
7. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
8. While the meat and potatoes are cooking, prepare the Tomato Basil Sauce.  Note: this step is optional and can be substituted with your favorite marinara sauce if you want to skip it.  Place a skillet on your stovetop and turn to medium high heat.  Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and let them get a light char on 1-2 sides.  Add butter and lightly smash tomatoes (be careful! When the tomatoes burst, that juice is hot).  Season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper.  Turn heat down to medium or medium low and allow sauce to simmer until nice and thick, about 2-3 minutes.  Add basil and stir.  Take off the heat, cover, and set aside.
9. When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
10. Remove the tinfoil boat of meat carefully and drain and discard the extra liquid.  Place on a cutting board.
11. Drain most of the liquid from the potatoes into a bowl.  Mash the potatoes directly in the pot until they are as smooth or chunky as you like them.  Add buttermilk and stir adding more of the cooking liquid back into the pot if  the potatoes are too dry.  Sprinkle the top with chives and serve straight out of the pot.  This will not only save you a serving dish to clean but will keep the potatoes warm if you leave it on Keep Warm.
12. To serve:  Slice meatloaf with a sharp knife.  Place a slice on a plate and top with hot Tomato Basil Sauce or your favorite marinara sauce.  Put a scoop of Smashed Potatoes to the side and eat plain or topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Freezer Meal Instructions:

1. Wrap prepared and rolled meatloaf in plastic wrap then place it inside a freezer safe gallon size ziplock bag.  Label the bag with the recipe, date, and contents.  Freeze.
2. When ready to cook, place frozen meatloaf inside a tinfoil boat and on a trivet inside the pot as directed above.  Cook at High Pressure for 45 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.  I advise checking the internal temperature of the meat to make sure it is between 155 – 160° F.  Proceed with the rest of the instructions above.