“Sometimes a little comfort food can go a long way.”
Homemade Salisbury Steak
When I was a kid growing up in the 1950s and 60s, my mother never allowed us to have TV dinners because she told us that her cooking was healthier and less costly. No doubt her cooking was indeed healthier but at 60-cents apiece for store-bought TV dinners, I sometimes wondered how much cheaper her meals were. I recently did a little research and found that a pound of hamburger meat averaged 45-cents in 1960 so maybe Mom had a point! However, by 1970 I was in my first apartment in college and living off TV dinners which cost less than one dollar apiece; my favorite dinner was Banquet’s Salisbury Steak. Back then I never touched the vegetables but, the steak & gravy and mashed potatoes were scrumptious after I picked off the onions. Now, fifty years later I find myself enjoying my own homemade Salisbury Steak & Gravy with mashed potatoes only I’m eating the vegetables and I’ve replaced the onions with shallots.
Best known in our time as a staple of TV dinners and bargain buffets, the Salisbury Steak actually has its beginnings as a proposed cure for digestive illness during the Civil War. Far from the nuisance it is in the US today, digestive illnesses killed more soldiers during the Civil War than combat did, and a diet rich in beefsteak and coffee was one suggested cure. The inventor of the Salisbury Steak, Dr. James Henry Salisbury, born in New York, was an early pioneer of germ theory, and of diet being a factor in health. While some of his ideas may be outmoded today, his affection for [chopped or ground] beefsteak and his promotion of its positive effect on health, has persisted. (Source: Pomeroy Foundation)
There are literally thousands of Salisbury Steak recipes on the Internet. I’ve read hundreds of them and cooked several dozen different ones. This particular recipe was adapted from The Very Best Salisbury Steak by Kellie at thesuburbansoapbox.com. Mostly due to my somewhat peculiar tastes, I modified a few items to arrive at my recipe. Onion has been replaced by Shallots, ground mustard replaced by prepared Dijon mustard and I added a touch of dried parsley to the ground meat. Also, I decided to thicken the gravy with a slurry which I’ll discuss in the Notes. Regardless, Kellie’s recipe is fantastic and I congratulate her for it.
I really like this recipe for a number of reasons. First, it is less than 300 calories and is high in protein. Second, it is quick & easy to prepare, has a short cook time and an almost effortless cleanup. And last, this is a forgiving recipe; if you sear one or more of the steaks a bit too long, the thick, rich gravy covers it and keeps it juicy. If you undercook it, it is easy to cook it longer just before removing it from the cooktop.
Ingredients
For the meat
For the gravy
Instructions
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Assemble the ingredients. Set out a large mixing bowl and a large skillet, preferably cast iron.
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In the mixing bowl combine the ground meat, Panko breadcrumbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, onion powder, dried parsley, pepper and salt.
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Using your hands, massage the ingredients together until well blended.
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Divide the meat mixture into four equal portions and shape each into an oval steak about 1/2 inch thick.
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After greasing the skillet with cooking spray, cook the steaks 3 to 5 minutes on each side until browned.
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Transfer the browned steaks to a platter and keep warm.
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Drain all but a tablespoon of grease from the skillet being careful not to remove any food bits remaining. Add the sliced shallots to the skillet and cook until translucent and aromatic.
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Add the thin-sliced mushrooms to the skillet with the cooked shallot. Slowly stir and turn the mixture until the mushrooms are soft.
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Stir in the garlic powder, the thyme and 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour. Add the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce; then, using a metal whisk to stir, scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the remaining food bits. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Stir vigorously and when the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat to medium and add the light butter with canola oil. If the mixture is not thick enough to your liking, make and use a slurry per the instructions in the Notes section.
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Carefully return the partially cooked steaks back into the skillet and nestle into the gravy; cover and cook another 5 to 8 minutes until cooked through with an internal temperature of 160°F.
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The steaks can be plated by themselves topped with the rich creamy gravy or you might serve them over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or whatever you like ... regardless, enjoy!
Serving Size 1 steak 1/2 C gravy
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 261kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 10g16%
- Saturated Fat 4g20%
- Cholesterol 3mg1%
- Sodium 556mg24%
- Potassium 310mg9%
- Total Carbohydrate 15g5%
- Dietary Fiber 2g8%
- Sugars 4g
- Protein 27g54%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Substitutes. Beef is the traditional meat for Salisbury Steak but feel free to substitute venison, pork (not sausage), or even turkey or chicken. The more traditional sliced onion can be used in place of my shallots. I prefer plain Panko breadcrumbs but you might substitute the seasoned kind if necessary.
Flour Slurry. To use flour to thicken a sauce or gravy, use two tablespoons flour mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water or broth/stock. Thoroughly mix the two in a measuring cup using a small whisk or fork. When no lumps remain, slowly add the slurry into your skillet or pan of sauce or gravy. Stir vigorously over medium heat until mixture thickens. Sometimes with a large batch of sauce or gravy that is really thin, it might be necessary to make and apply a second batch of the slurry mix but be careful not to use too much because it will over-thicken things.
Photo Faux Pas. When I laid out the ingredients I used Baby Bella Mushrooms instead of white mushrooms; sorry for the confusion because either works fine so long as you ensure that they are thinly sliced. Secondly, I was distracted when I shaped the steaks (i.e. patties) because they should have come out in oval shapes instead of being round. I can only surmise that I went into "hamburger patty mode" thus the faux pas! Regardless, they taste the same whether oval or round.