Grind 2 cups italian bread cubes into coarse crumbs in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees .
Cut 1 carrot, 1 celery rib and 1 onion into 1-inch pieces. Using the same food processor, finely chop the vegetables.
Add the vegetables to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add 2 lbs. ground chuck, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until just blended.
Transfer the mixture to a 10-by-15-inch baking dish; pat the meat into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle.
Arrange 6 colby-jack cheese sticks lengthwise on top; fold the meat over the cheese.
Pat well into a loaf that is about 4 by 12 inches, pressing to seal the seams.
Scatter 1 1/2 lbs. quartered red-skinned potatoes around the loaf. Drizzle lightly with EVOO; season with salt and pepper.
Bake until the potatoes are tender and the cheese begins to ooze, about 50 minutes.
Bonus: We challenged actress Octavia Spencer to make this recipe! See how she did.
