Since the beginning, most recipes for dishes served at the Hamline Church Dining Hall have come from church members featured in the church cookbooks. The ham loaf recipe was submitted to the church cookbook by Gladys Helling and hasn’t changed since it was first served at the state fair in the 1930s. Gladys started coming to the fair with her parents in 1911 when she was just 13 years old and remembered stopping at the food stand. She’d go on to help supervise the dining hall operation beginning in the 1930s.
Gladys Helling’s Ham Loaf
Served at the Hamline Church Dining Hall at the Minnesota State Fair since the 1930s.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground ham
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 3 cups dry breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
For the sauce:
- 2 cups brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup prepared mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- In a large bowl, combine ground ham, ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, pepper, curry powder, sage, and allspice. Mix to combine. Add milk and eggs and mix to combine.
- Pack mixture into a 5x9x3-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour half of the sauce over the loaf.
- Bake for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with remaining sauce on the side.
