Classic sides:

Mashed potatoes, amazing carrots, and a green salad. Do it up nicely with garlic, butter, and sour cream in the potatoes, and blue cheese, dried cranberries and cut-up pear for the salad, with some balsamic vinegar dressing. Or Trader Joe's has a Champaigne Pear dressing that has the blue cheese in the dressing itself!

For the mashed potatoes: Peel however many potatoes you think you'll eat--this keeps well so if you think you'll like it, go ahead and make enough to last as long as the meatloaf does.

After you've peeled them, cut them up into chunks. The smaller the chunks the faster they'll cook; however the longer it takes to cut them up.

Put them in a pan and fill it up to half the level of the potatoes with water and a bit of salt. Bring to a boil, and boil about 20 minutes, or until soft.

At this point you have two options: you can use an old-fashioned potato masher, which leaves them nicely lumpy; or you can put them in a mixer or food processor. The masher is easier to clean up.

Whatever you do, just leave the water in them and start mashing. If you're adding butter, now would be the time to do it. Also add about 1 clove of mashed garlic per two average potatoes (not the giant bakers--you'll have used russets for this)--which is about 1/2 teaspoon if you use the fresh garlic already mashed in jars.

Mash it to the consistency you want, adding 1 stick of butter for about every 5-6 potatoes, and the garlic. It should go pretty quickly and still be steaming. Then add about 1/2 cup of sour cream for every 5-6 potatoes.

Add a little more salt and pepper to taste, and serve alongside the meatloaf, with the salad on the side.

To make "amazing carrots": this is so simple, but you will be astounded at how this method turns simple carrots into a mouthwatering side:

Brush a couple of carrots to clean them (if it's just you. Add more for others). Trim ends, and then cut up into lengths about two inches long, splitting the thick ends in two or three pieces so they're about the same size as pieces from the smaller end of the carrots. Melt a little butter in a pan on the stove top. Add the carrots and saute them briefly, just until they begin to get a little golden-brown color. Add a little real beef broth, to about half their depth--don't drown them! Then add about 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme for each couple of carrots.

Place a lid over the carrots, "tilted" so that steam can escape, and simmer them for about 10 minutes, until they are softened but still have a bit of stiffness left--you don't want these to completely fall apart.

Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and place alongside the mashed potatoes and meatloaf.

Hope you like these recipes!

Go for something different, yet traditional. Whenever I do meatloaf, I make twice-baked potatoes! They're simple to make. Simply bake your potatoes as normal. When done, remove from oven and very carefully cut off the top skin of each potato. Scoop out of the potato from each one and mash in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons milk and mix thoroughly. Add in 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mixture of diced onions and green and red pepper. When mixed, scoop mixture back inside the potato shells and sprinkle the top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Put back in hot oven for 7 minutes. They're easy and everyone will love them.!

Personally I love this rice casserole, it goes with just about anything.
I use two boil in bags of rice, while those are boiling you get a stick of butter and chop up green onions ( I just go by whatever amount looks good to me).
You sautee the green onions and butter, once this is done, about 5 minutes, you add cream of mushroom soup, undiluted. Blend that all together and add about 1 cup of any kind of shredded cheese.
I then add salt, pepper and garlic powder to my liking mix this all together until blended well.
When the rice is done put it in a casserole dish and then add your mixture to the rice, mix this altogether. Top with about another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
This is one recipe even my very picky kids will eat.
You could add a salad, rolls and some green beans and you have an amazing dinner

Scalloped Potatoes

I found a Yahoo Answers thread that had some good suggestions. I'll post some of the ones that cought my eye, and than a link to the thread so you can get a wider section if you don't like what I posted.

"Green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, Jell-o salads, broccoli and rice casserole with cheese, veggie trays, etc."

"Asparagus or a good salad would top it off."

"Macaroni and cheese is good with tomatoes, peas, and carrots, mix that with some crushed red pepper and some hot spices. This makes a flavorful side dish."

"corn on the cob[.]"




Or from another thread:

"broccolli and cheddar rice.
grilled corn on the cob.
three bean salad.
scallopped potatoes.
italian zucchini.
grilled portabellos."