Salisbury Steak
Edited by Debbie, Timbuktu, Eng, Robbi and 4 others
Most ground beef dishes have a reputation for being served when the cook wants to save a bit of money. In the case of Salisbury steak, this statement does hold true. However, it is not the only reason why the dish has become so popular and people have created countless versions of it.
Salisbury steak is a dish made from minced beef, onions, and other ingredients. It is shaped to resemble a steak and prepared with brown sauce or various gravies; it is served with vegetables, mashed potatoes, or noodles. Many perceive it to be identical to hamburger steak, but there is a big difference between the two.
Hamburgers have acquired a reputation for being not quite healthy - probably partly because of criticism against fast food chains and fatty foods. Ironically, the Salisbury patty was invented as part of a low-carbohydrate diet for losing weight by Dr. James Henry Salisbury in the early 1900s.
Known during his era as a health food nut, he might very well have put together first health food recipe. Salisbury had various food therapy theories from his experience during the Civil War. One of these was the belief that ingestion of vegetables caused tumors, heart disease, tuberculosis, psychosis, and produced poisons in the digestive system. During the First World War, Salisbury's invention became popularly known as Salisbury partly because people wanted to change the name of anything that was in any way connected to Germany.
For commercially packaged patties in the United States to be called Salisbury steak, certain standards have to be met. These include a ceiling of 30 percent set on the fat content of their meat. Salisbury steak must be 65 percent meat, and it should contain a maximum of 12 percent fillers, such as bread crumbs, oat flakes or flour. The rest can be made of binders and vegetables.
Preparing Salisbury Steak
Traditionally prepared with soft cuts of beef such as sirloin or flank steak, Salisbury steak is less costly when prepared with lean ground beef, but it is just as flavorful. Choose ground meat with around 10 percent fat content for a firm and healthier Salisbury steak with better texture.
Salisbury steak is the perfect meal for cold evenings in fall or winter. It is best served with green vegetables and mashed potatoes, or pasta and broccoli, or baked potatoes and steamed green beans. With this dish you can easily come up with a full meal and still keep your grocery bill low. This is budget cooking at its best.
Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
- 11 can of onion soup
- 21 1/2 pounds (1/2 kilogram) ground beef
- 31/2 cup bread crumbs
- 41 egg
- 51/4 teaspoon salt
- 61/8 teaspoon pepper
- 71 tablespoon flour
- 81/4 cup ketchup
- 91/4 cup water
- 101 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 111/2 teaspoon Dry mustard
Procedure
- 1Mix the ground beef with 1/3 cup of the onion soup
- 2Stir in the bread crumbs, eggs, and salt and pepper.
- 3Shape the patties, and brown in a greased skillet for 4 minutes on each side.
- 4Take out, and put in a greased casserole dish.
- 5Next, mix the flour, and remaining onion soup until smooth.
- 6Mix ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard.
- 7Pour over patties, and cook in oven at 325 for 30 minutes.
Mashed Potato
Ingredients
- 11/2 kilogram russet potatoes
Procedure
- 1Wash and scrub the potatoes to remove all dirt.
- 2Put into a medium sized pot, fill up with water and bring to a boil until tender.
- 3Drain and put back the potatoes in the pot, place into low heat.
- 4Mash the potatoes and add the butter and half and half until smooth or coarsely smooth, depending on the texture you like.
- 5Season with salt and pepper.
Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 11/4 kilo baby potatoes
- 21 teaspoon thyme
- 3olive oil
- 4salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
- 1Wash and scrub the potatoes, completely remove all the dirt.
- 2Drain with paper towels or clean cloth.
- 3Mix until all the potatoes and coated with the herb and oil.In a bowl, put in the potatoes, thyme and drizzle with olive oil.
- 4Place on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
- 5Occasionally turn them to evenly cook. It may take for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) until tender and golden brown.
Popular Variations:
Salisbury steak has become so popular that there are countless versions of it all over the world. Even the Japanese, using Panko bread crumbs, have created their own adapted this dish for their lunchboxes or bento boxes. A more sophisticated take on this old favorite is to use a little red wine to deglaze the skillet on which the patties were browned and sauté a cup of onions or more to create a sauce redolent of French onion soup. Here is a popular variation that uses mushrooms to give it a lift.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/3 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
- 1/3 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Buttered egg noodles, for serving (optional)
Procedure:
- 1Mix beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some ground pepper in a large bowl, using a spatula or your hands.
- 2Divide the mixed meat into four equal portions and shape into oval patties, less than an inch thick.
- 3Brown the patties about 4 minutes per side. Remove patties and transfer to platter.In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.
- 4Push mushrooms to the side of the skillet.In the skillet, add another tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms for about 2 minutes or until slightly caramelized.
- 5Scrape up brown bits, sprinkle in the flour and add 2 1/2 cups of water. Drop the rest of the butter in, and stir to combine thoroughly. Stir while simmering until the sauce begins to thicken (2 to 3 minutes).In the same skillet, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and add salt and pepper.
- 6Continue to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until patties are cooked through.Return patties to the skillet, making sure all the juice from them is scraped into the pan.
- 7Serve with noodles instead of the usual mashed potatoes if desired.
Serving Suggestions:
- Two of the most popular sides served with Salisbury steak are mashed potatoes and peas. Both have become the classic accompaniments to this well-loved dish.
- You can try serving the patties with steamed green beans, sweet corn kernels and brown gravy.
- This dish also tastes absolutely fabulous with rice and steamed broccoli, edamame, and shitaki mushrooms the way the Japanese like to serve it.
- You can also serve the patties with garlic cheese toast and green salad.
Notes
- It is better to use Panko breadcrumbs. They are much lighter than other breadcrumbs and will create crispier coating when fried. If it is not available, you still can use any other brands/types.
- If half and half is not available, you can just use whole milk.
- Photos above are just sample brands of the ingredients. This does not mean that the same brands are needed in preparing this recipe. You can always change things according to your preferences.
Enjoy!
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
