Quick & Easy Salisbury Steak and Gravy

I have not thought about making nor eating Salisbury steak for a long time.  For years, it has been a food that I associated with lunchroom mystery meat. Tasteless hunks of "meat" covered in some "gravy" that was comprised of congealed lumps rather than a smooth velvety blanket. Yes, this meal was something that brought to mind slow moving lines in which grumpy women in hair nets slopped it down on your plastic tray whether you intended to eat it or not.

So I was a bit taken aback when I ran across a recipe a few months ago for it, and even more surprised that I wanted to try it. After all, it's been...a while.

After making it, I decided that Salisbury steak just might have a some redeeming qualities to it after all. That said, it was just...missing...something. Onions! It was missing a lot of onions! I love the flavor that caramelized onions impart to ground beef, and that was what I wanted in my Salisbury steak. Especially if made with a sumptuous gravy that you can picture spilling down on a mound of creamed potatoes. Comfort food at its finest! As cold as it has been here for the last month, comfort food spreading its warmth through your belly is very welcome at my house.

Start by grabbing a pound of ground beef. Add one small diced onion - but leave out 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

That's it. Use a wooden or metal spoon to gently mix it all together until combined. I say that because if you use your hands, the warmth from them will start to melt the fat in the meat resulting in a tough patty. So there you have it...don't handle your meat too much.
It will make you blind.
*waits for other jokes*

Gently form the meat into patties. I got six big ones from my mix, but you can make them any size you wish. Just remember to adjust your cooking time to cover whatever size you choose. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of oil to it. Sear the patties for about 5 minutes each side, and place them in an oven safe dish. Try use a large enough dish so that you can place all of the patties in there in a single layer. Pour off excess oil from the skillet, and reduce heat to low. DON'T scrape out the bottom of the pan.

Unless you burned the patties, because then you kinda will need a whole new pan for this next part, and it won't be as good. Truth.

This is where the magic happens. Gravvvvvvvvvvvvvy!

First, start with tossing that 1/4 cup of leftover onions into the pan. Stir them around just until they start to get a little brown and soft. Next, add about a cup of HOT water to your pan. Make sure it's not cold water, because cold water in a hot pan can warp the bottom and make it wobble...which is a true pain in the arse if you cook on a flat top. Trust me. I've cooked on many a wobbly pan because I was a moron.

After you add the HOT water, rip open a packet of dry Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix and add it to the pan. Stir the mix into the water, using any spoon or spatula that is not metal (because it will ruin your nonstick pan), and gently scrape along the bottom to loosen all that yummy goodness that was left by the patties. Now add some black pepper and stir. Let that cook for a few minutes, then make a water/cornstarch slurry to thicken things up.

Once you have the gravy the consistency you want it, pour it over top of the patties in the oven safe dish. Cover and put in preheated oven, and let it cook for 20 minutes.

You will be generously rewarded with moist, melt in your mouth Salisbury steak. Mmmm.

Initially, I had planned on eating one patty. After I finished the first one, I went back for another. My taste buds were singing, but my tummy was not. Apparently, the first patty in addition to the succotash I made to go along with it was sufficient whether I knew it or not. (and yes I am that weirdo that likes to put things in separate bowls so flavors don't mix.)

It should also be mentioned that I suffered a major party foul for dinner last night, seeing as I did not have any taters to make creamed potatoes. Massive party foul, precious.

It was still good, though.