Bloody Nested Rats – Willard
Willard – a long time favorite movie of mine, is ripe with horror tones, scary imagery and really terrible things done by men and animals alike. We made Bloody Nested Rats for this movie!
Crispin Glover is one of my favorite actors and the rats made my skin crawl, but it was Glover that made this film so spooky. As a remake, it was better, in my mind, than the original. Great review here.
Bloody Nested Rats -Willard - Updated!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/2+ cup Italian Style breadcrumbs
- 4 tbls ketchup
- 3 tbls Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp dried parsely
- 1 tsp dried onion flakes
- 1 carrot sliced into rounds and halved
- 3 black olives or baking "eyes"
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Line a square baking dish with foil.
- Cut carrots into slices and then cut the slices in half for the mouse ears. Set aside.
- Slice the olives into thin, then cut in half for the mouse eyes. Set aside.
- Beat the egg and add to the ground beef, incorporating it well.
- Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce the ground beef and egg mixture and knead.
- Add breadcrumbs and mix by hand.
- Shape your rats by making large meatballs and then pressing the sides in to elongate. Be sure to press the "head" rat into the neck. (They come apart easily of you don't!)
- Make smaller meatball shapes to make the rat heads and then place the carrot ears on the head. Add the olives to make eyes.
- Cook at 325 for 20 minutes (depending on the size of your "rats")
- Serve the rats on a bed of mashed potatoes or shredded veggies (like zucchini spirals) and cover with a drizzle of ketchup to make them look bloody.
Notes
UPDATE: We lowered the temp of the oven to 325 and made our "rats" a little smaller. The meat was less dry and the shape held better. If you are in doubt, use a meat thermometer. The inside of the thickest part should read 140.
This recipe is easy and fun at for any Halloween party. We especially loved the gross out effect of the ketchup as blood. We have served this on "nests" of pasta and marinara sauce as well and it was great looking and easy for entertaining.
One word of caution: When baking your meatloaf "rats" don't overcook them. Remember they are small and will cook much faster than a standard meatloaf recipe.
