*Photo and recipe updated March 2012*

Inspiration: I’ll admit it. I used to love those Salisbury steak TV dinners as a kid. I mean, really love them. Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn, brownie. Something reminded me of them the other day, and I got to thinking that I’ve never had a homemade Salisbury steak before. In fact, I didn’t even know how you would even go about making one. Would you use cube steak? Ground beef? Some other cut of meat?  When I told Brandon that I was making this for supper, he replied with, “I don’t even know what those are.” Meaning, “I used to eat those,  but what are they…?” Sure sounds like a meal in need of a nice homemade revamp.

What we Loved: These were absolutely fabulous. Really, they’re the perfect comfort food for a dark, cold evening, and I’m craving one again just writing this post. The steak itself is made from ground beef that’s mixed with seasonings and onions and then pan fried, but what really makes this dish is the gravy. It’s rich and flavorful, thick and creamy from a touch of sour cream, and nice and earthy from the mushrooms. When you cut into the meat, which is already moist on the inside like a burger, the gravy seeps down into the steak for a really delicious bite. The gravy is made in the same pan in which you pan fry the steaks, so all of the brown bits from the beef get incorporated into the gravy for an extra layer of browned beef flavor. What a great comfort meal.

Helpful Hints: Make sure to allow your pan sauce time to reduce down. At first it’s very thin, but after a few minutes of simmering away, it really thickens up nicely.

Salisbury Steak
Source: Yum Sugar

I modified this recipe to serve two. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Butter
1 slice Vidalia onion, minced
About 3/4 lb ground beef
Garlic powder, to taste
Seasoned salt, to taste (I used Lawry’s)
Dried thyme, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
About 4 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup beef stock
1/4 – 1/3 cup sour cream

1. Heat a pat of butter in a saute pan, and saute the minced onion until it is nice and softened.

2. Combine the meat with the minced onion, garlic powder, seasoned salt, thyme, and pepper. Form the meat into two oblong oval-shaped patties, flattening as much as possible.

3. In the same saute pan, add another good pat of butter of medium heat. Saute the mushrooms until they are softened and beginning to brown. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

4. Place the meat patties into the pan, and cook for approximately four to five minutes per side, until completely cooked through. Remove from the pan, setting aside and tenting with foil to keep warm.

5. Add the beef stock to the hot pan, and bring to a boil. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan to incorporate. Reduce the heat, and slowly whisk in the sour cream. Add the mushrooms back into the pan. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens.

6. Serve the sauce over the steaks.