Salisbury Steak is an elegant hamburger with seasonings and sauce. Though the steaks resemble hamburgers, the flavors are quite different. In fact, families may adapt the traditional recipe to suit their tastes. Some cooks form the patties into ovals instead of rounds.

I’ve made Salisbury Steak many times. One recipe, which I only made once, called for the addition of a can of deviled ham, which added a smoky flavor to the patties.

Myra Waldo’s historic work, The Complete Round-the-World Meat Cookbook, published in 1967 and still on my book shelf, contains an entire chapter on ground meats. According to Waldo, the hamburger has become a symbol of America. The ground meats chapter contains recipes for Mexican burgers, Burgundy burgers in wine sauce, Danish Beefsteak, Finnish Beef Patties, Italian Pizza burgers, Russian Hamburgers with Heavy Cream, and yes, a recipe for Salisbury Steak.

Her recipe contains grated onion, chopped green pepper, garlic, and marjoram I didn’t have any of these ingredients so I created my own recipe, using extra lean ground beef, some leftover French fried onions, and chili sauce. Because the French fried onions contained salt, I didn’t add any extra to the beef mixture. I served these fancy burgers with baked potatoes and a salad of Boston lettuce (which is also called Butter lettuce and Bibb lettuce), Roma tomatoes, sliced avocado, and honey-mustard dressing.

If you’re stumped on dinner, Salisbury Steak with French Fried Onions and Tasty Sauce may be just the meal-saver you need. This recipe is easily doubled and you can make extra patties for another day if you wish.

Ingredients

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

1 slice fresh bread, crust removed, and torn into small pieces (I used whole wheat bread.)

1/2 cup crushed French fried onions

Garlic pepper to taste

Wondra flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon butter

1 1/2 cups water

2 beef bullion cubes (I used ones with reduced salt.)

2 tablespoons chili sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

A little cold water

Method

Put the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add the torn bread, water, onions, and garlic pepper. Gently combine and form into four, inch-thick patties. Coat the patties with Wondra flour. Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet. As soon as the butter melts and the skillet is hot add the patties. Cook until they are crispy brown on the underside and then flip. Cook a few more minutes until the inside is no longer pink. Transfer patties to plate. Lower the heat. Add water, beef cubes, and chili sauce. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly, and making sure all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan are mixed into the sauce. Put cornstarch in a small cup and stir in a little cold water until it is smooth and lump-free. Whisk corn starch into skillet and cook until the sauce thickens. Return beef patties to skillet. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, baked, potatoes, or cooked wide noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Copyright 2013 by Harriet Hodgson

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