Salisbury Steak is a fancy burger with seasonings and sauce. Although the steaks resemble hamburgers, the flavors are quite different. In fact, families can adapt the traditional recipe to their tastes. Some cooks shape the patties into ovals instead of round ones.
I have made Salisbury Steak many times. One recipe, which I only made once, called for the addition of a can of deviled ham, which added a smoky flavor to the empanadas.
The historical work of Myra Waldo, The complete meat cookbook around the world, published in 1967 and still on my bookshelf, contains an entire chapter on ground meats. According to Waldo, the hamburger has become a symbol of America. The ground meats chapter contains recipes for Mexican Burgers, Burgundy Burgers in Wine Sauce, Danish Steak, Finnish Beef Patties, Italian Pizza Burgers, Russian Burgers with Heavy Cream, and yes, a Salisbury Steak recipe.
His recipe contains grated onion, chopped green pepper, garlic and marjoram. I didn’t have any of these ingredients, so I created my own recipe, using extra-lean ground beef, some leftover fried onions, and hot sauce. Since the French fried onions contained salt, I did not add any more to the meat mixture. I served these fancy burgers with baked potatoes and a salad of Boston lettuce (also called Butter lettuce and Bibb lettuce), Roma tomatoes, avocado slices, and honey mustard dressing.
If you’re stumped about dinner, Salisbury steak with fried onions and flavorful gravy might be just the thing to save the meal. This recipe is easily doubled and you can make additional empanadas for another day if you like.
Ingredients
1 pound 93% lean ground beef
1 slice of fresh bread, crust removed and cut into small pieces (I used whole wheat bread).
1/2 cup shredded french fried onions
Garlic pepper to taste
wheat flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 1/2 cups of water
2 beef bullion cubes (I used ones with reduced salt).
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
some cold water
method
Put the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add torn bread, water, onions, and garlic. Gently combine and shape into four one-inch-thick patties. Coat the patties with Wondra flour. Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet. As soon as the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the patties. Cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, then flip. Cook a few more minutes until the inside is no longer pink. Transfer empanadas to plate. Lower the heat. Add water, meat cubes, and hot sauce. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly and making sure all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan are mixed into the sauce. Put the cornstarch in a small cup and stir it with a little cold water until smooth and smooth. Whisk the cornstarch in the pan and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the meat patties to the skillet. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or cooked wide noodles. Makes 4 servings.
Copyright 2013 by Harriet Hodgson
