Salisbury Steak: No Longer Cafeteria Food

I saw this recipe in the December 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine, which I got from my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas and is AWESOME! I decided I had to give this a shot. I tend to like beefy gravy things with a side of starch and optional green, so why not have a go at a dish traditionally served in hockey puck form drenched in fake gravy in airplanes and cafeterias across our great nation.

First, we start off sort of like a meatloaf. One pound of ground beef along with about 1/4 C onion chopped, 7 saltines crushed into fine crumbs, a beaten egg, a tsp of sage, and about a half tsp each of salt and pepper.

 Mix it up - I prefer just getting in there with my hands, and divide out into 4 patties.

 Pan is preheated, throw down a little butter and watch them sizzle!

 

Cook for about 4 minutes at medium high and flip.

Another 4 minutes and pull them out of the pan. Let them rest; don't mess with them.

With all the grease in this pan I probably didn't need to add more butter, but the directions told me to and we all know I always follow directions.

Besides,  these mushrooms just wouldn't be the same without all that butter.

Here's Jen getting artistic with her photography. She says, "It's the depth of field, man!"

Stir in 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce and season with a little salt and pepper. Scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle in 3 T A/P flour and stir it up.

This is me frantically stirring the flour into the mushrooms before it all starts burning.

Pour in 2 1/2 C hot water and start stirring the heck out of it.

This is me stirring the heck out of it. The recipe says to add another T of butter here. I didn't really see the need except to maybe add a little more richness to the gravy. With the 2 T and 1/4 of sour cream going on my potato plus the butter and fat from the ground beef already in the dish I think I'm already doing a number on my arteries tonight.

I brought this up to a boil quickly after realizing I needed to use hot water, not ice cold filtered water from the fridge. I figured I'd jack the heat up or it would be hours before this thing reduced. I was lucky the shock didn't make the mushrooms rubbery.

After the gravy cooks down a bit place the patties back into the pan. The sauce will thicken further and the patties will cook through within just a few minutes (or so it says).

In the meantime, I've begun steaming my broccoli for a side and created this miniature potato bar on the counter.

This looked like a good consistency. After tasting, the gravy needed to be seasoned quite a bit. It was very bland. I added a little more Worcestershire sauce instead of just salt so the gravy would have more than just a salty flavor. I proceeded with a little more pepper as well. I still ended up adding a little more salt at the table.

All in all, I had a pretty good impression of this recipe. The meat was tender and flavorful. It was nice to have some sauce for a ground beef dish that wasn't ketchup, and mushrooms sauteed in butter are always awesome. I would definitely like to try this recipe again, only next time I think I might throw some garlic into the burger patties and add a little minced garlic along with the mushrooms. This dish was rather bland until tremendous amounts of salt were added, so the garlic may add a bit of a needed kick to set it off. A little onion in with the mushrooms and season every step of the way will definitely help. I also learned that getting the gravy to the right consistency is important before adding the patties back into the pan. A noob mistake, I know, but I recovered by stirring additional flour into a small sample of the gravy in a separate container and then adding that thickened liquid to the whole.

Anyway, Salisbury steak is good, and it may be fun for you to make at home and dispel the myth that Salisbury steak can only be served as crappy cafeteria food.

Salisbury Steak and Mushrooms Recipe 

The recipe can be found below at the FoodNetwork.com website!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/salisbury-steak-with-mushrooms-recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
7 saltine crackers, finely crushed (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Buttered egg noodles, for serving (optional)

Gently mix the beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl using your hands. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into oval patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the patties, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, scraping up any browned bits. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then stir in 2 1/2 cups hot water and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling to combine.

Return the patties and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the patties are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with noodles, if desired.