Salisbury Steak

I grew up a connoisseur of Salisbury Steak.  It frequently showed up on the school lunch menu and on the dinner plate.  What the lunch ladies served up definitely had a mystery meat quality.  And the Salisbury Steak I ate at home came from none other than Swanson. So who knows what was really in it.  Probably lots of things that I can’t even pronounce.  When I saw a recipe for Salisbury Steak in Cuisine For Two, I decided to see what I could do with it.  I figured that even if I totally bombed, it would still be at least as good as any Salisbury Steak I ever knew.Fortunately, this Salisbury Steak is like nothing I ever knew.  The sauce, inspired by French Onion Soup, isn’t your typical lifeless boring brown gravy.  It’s got some depth.  I meant to rework the leftover sauce into a faux French Onion Soup but that plan never saw the light of day.  I also meant to serve the Salisbury Steak with some homemade rolls.  But you know me and yeast.  Maybe next time.  Or maybe I can whip up a batch of Ree’s Semi-homemade Buttered Rolls. Now that’s the ticket.  Hot rolls topped with melted butter and fresh rosemary would taste much better than the freezer burnt ciabatta from Trader Joe’s that I dug out of the Frigidaire and put on the plate.

Salisbury Steak

Inspired by Cuisine For Two

BAH Note:  I’ve scaled the recipe to make four servings which gave us leftovers.  And honestly, I think the sauce was a little better after a day or two.

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced or 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 teaspoons, plus 2 teaspoons all purpose flour, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine ground beef, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Divide the mixture into four portions and shape into patties.  Place 4 teaspoons of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge the patties in flour.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.  Add the patties and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove the patties from the pan and cover to keep warm.

Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook until well browned, but not burnt, over medium heat, 10 to 20 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook until browned, approximately 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour over the onion and tomato paste mixture and cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth, wine, and thyme and whisk to combine.

Add the beef patties back to the pan and bring the sauce to a boil.  Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the patties are completely cooked.

{printable recipe}