Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak can definitely be considered one of my 'Comfort Foods for Cool Weather'.  This dish ranks right up there with hearty Chili con Carne, Beef Stew, my Mega Meat Sauce over spaghetti as well as baked ham with my Dad's famous Baked Beans and Scalloped Potatoes.  Mmmm, comfort food for chilly weather!!  It makes all this wet, nasty weather seem somehow more bearable, am I right?

 

I've tried making Salisbury Steak a couple of different ways over the years but this recipe is going to be my 'go-to' recipe from now on.  The kicker is definitely the gravy. 

 

Man, oh man! 

 

The first time I made it I apparently was having a brain fart and didn't make nearly enough garlic mashed potatoes.  What was I thinking?  Yes, the gravy gives boring old beef patties a new lease on life but, let's be honest here, the mashed spuds are really why I make this gravy.  The potatoes give me more of a normal reason to take an obscenely large ladle of gravy. 

 

Don't judge me.

 

Please don't think that I just plop down some spuds and some Salisbury Steak willy-nilly.  I am not an animal!  In my world there is a definite protocol one must follow in order to serve Salisbury Steak.  {In the tone of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings} One does not simply pour gravy over Salisbury Steak!  

 

First, you have to place a rather large dollop of garlicy spuddy goodness in the middle of your dinner plate.  Then you make a well in the centre with a big spoon and pour a little of the gravy into it thus making a gravy lake.  Place your beef patty into the lake so it gets doused in gravy from both sides.  Sprinkle it with some of the sautéed onions and mushrooms and then pour more gravy over it all.  This is my perfect way to serve Salisbury Steak.  And thus ends your tutorial.

 

Was this a hit with my family?  Honestly, I didn't pay much attention due to the fact that I was in a Gravy Coma.  I did note though that Boy 1 (aka Carnivore) devoured the meat and was able to use his fork with such dexterity that he could eat the meat without touching any of the *gasp* mushrooms or onions.  This dexterous skill leads me to wonder if a career as a surgeon is in his future.

 

So if you're feeling blaw from this wet, wet weather (at least in my neck of the woods) you may want to give this recipe a try and perhaps bone up on your Salisbury Steak Presentation Technique. :)

 

 



 

1 1/2lbs ground beef
1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp pepper

1 (10.75oz) can condensed French Onion soup
1 (10.75oz) can condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a large baking dish with foil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and pepper.  Combine well and form into 6 patties.  Set aside.

In another bowl, combine soups, dry mustard, garlic powder, water and Worchestershire sauce. Mix well. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp of butter and sauté the onions and mushrooms until onions are translucent.  Set mushrooms and onions aside and keep covered.

In the same large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat.  Add the beef patties and brown each patty on both sides.  Place patties into the foil-lined pan.  Add 2 tbsp of butter to the skillet that you just used for the patties.  Once it's bubbling add the flour and cook for about 1 minute.  Add soup mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture slightly thickens.

Sprinkle the sautéed onions and mushrooms over patties.  Pour soup mixture over everything.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the internal temperatures of the patties reaches 160F (71C) and they are no longer pink inside.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

Tip: I've also considered using frozen meatballs instead of the homemade beef patties.  It would save you time on prep as well as cooking time.  Just a thought.  If you give this change a try let me know how it works out.