Salisbury Steak
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Salisbury steak is an easy and delicious dinner that is ready in minutes. There is nothing like this classic comfort food that can bring you back to your mom's or grandmothers home cooking!
Salisbury steak is one of those classic comfort foods that my husband LOVES. When we were first married, he asked about where to find a place that sold in a T.V. dinner because that's how he always had it growing up. Once he joined the Army, it was only MRE style. He never even realized that I could make it from scratch. Once he figured out it's super easy to make, it's become something that he continually asks for it on repeat.
What is Salisbury Steak?
Did you know Salisbury steak isn't steak? It's more like a hamburger, and a meatloaf had a baby that's lovingly been nestled in a delicious sauce. This is usually served with amazing creamy mashed potatoes because, hello, that equals comfort foods at its best!
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What is Salisbury Steak Made of?
Traditionally Salisbury steak is made of ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, and spices. Once upon a time, I did make it the more traditional way. However, since going grain-free, I've figured out how to make this dish in all its grain-free goodness and if I do say so myself, it tastes even better!
Tips and Tricks
- Ground Beef - I like to make sure I am using a good quality ground beef with about 20% fat to help make sure the final product has the consistency and flavor that we want. I've found the leaner cuts for this tend to yield a little bit more of a bland flavor, so if you use a leaner cut, you might need to increase the spices a little bit depending on your preference.
- DO NOT over-mix the meat - The more you mess with the meat, the tougher the patties will become, and you do not want them to become tough. Salisbury steak is meant to be tender and soft and melt in your mouth.
- Shaping - This goes with the above and not over-mixing. When you shape the patties into the desired shape (I usually do an oval-ish shape). You want to form the patties and make sure they will stay together, but you do not want to be fully compacting them like you if you were to use some of the hamburger-type presses.
- Searing - For optimal flavor and color, searing will be your best friend. To accomplish this, you need to let the patties cook (undisturbed) until the patty no longer looks pink for the most part before you flip it over to the other side.
- Pan - The type of pan you use for this doesn't really matter. I've used both ceramic and cast iron without a problem. Just make sure that you sear the meat first before making the sauce because the pan can get bits from cooking that if you try to sear the meat after the vegetables for the gravy, the patties can fall apart easier.
I make Salisbury Steak all the time now. It's a classic that I don't see going out of style anytime soon. So now, go whip up this recipe and let me know what you think.
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Gluten-free Salisbury Steak
This Salisbury Steak recipe got a gluten-free maker over and is ready for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner that is ready in minutes.
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 3 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 TBS Ketchup or Tomato Paste
- 2 TBS Coconut Aminos
- 1 TBS Salt
- 1 TBS Dried Mustard
- ½ TSP Pepper
- 2 TBS Potato Flour NOT potato starch
- 2 TBS Butter or Avocado Oil
For the Gravy
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 2 C Mushrooms sliced
- 2 TBS Arrowroot Starch
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- ½ TSP Pepper
- 1 TSP Salt
- ½ TSP Parsley
- ½ TSP Thyme
- 2 TBS Butter or avocado oil
- 2 C Beef Stock
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the patties, except the potato flour and gently mix to combine.
- Once you have the meat combined, slowly dust in the potato flour 1 teaspoon at a time and fold it into the meat. You do NOT want to over pour the potato flour at this point as the potato flour can become chewy in the meat if it clumps. Lightly dusting and folding the flour into the meat will help keep it from clumping.
- Shape the patties. Carefully divide the meat into four equal balls. Gently shape in a ball into the desired shape. I usually make an oval shape with the meat, about 1 - 1 ½ in thick.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with the fat of choice. Place the meat patties into the skillet and let them sear for about 5-10 minutes until the meat is mostly not pink anymore. Carefully flip the meat and let it sear on the other side.
- Once the meat has seared on both sides, carefully remove the meat from the pan and set them aside while you make the gravy.
- Add the additional fat to the pan along with the onions and mushrooms. Let them cook, stirring until the onions and mushrooms have become soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic at this point, if using fresh, and let it cook a little longer until the desired browning on the onions has occurred.
- Note: the browning on the vegetables helps to give the sauce not only its color, but it's flavor.
- Once the vegetables have cooked, dust in the arrowroot starch and stir the vegetables to coat, making sure to remove any lumps of the flour before continuing.
- Stir in the beef stock and remaining spices.
- Add the beef patties back into the sauce, cover, and allow them to simmer about 10 minutes for the sauce to thicken, and the patties to soak up all the juice, helping them tenderize.
- Serve the Salisbury Steak and gravy over your favorite mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Ground Beef – I like to make sure I am using a good quality ground beef with about 20% fat to help make sure the final product has the consistency and flavor that we want. I’ve found the leaner cuts for this tend to yield a little bit more of a bland flavor so if you use a leaner cut, you might need to increase the spices a little bit depending on your preference.
- DO NOT over-mix the meat – The more you mess with the meat the tougher the patties will become and you do not want them to become tough. Salisbury steak is meant to be tender and soft and melt in your mouth.
- Shaping – This goes with the above and not over-mixing. When you go to shape the patties into the desired shape (I usually do an oval-ish shape). You want to form the patties and make sure they are going to stay together but you do not want to be fully compacting them like you if you were to use some of the hamburger type presses.
- Searing – For optimal flavor and color searing will be your best friend. In order to accomplish this you need let the patties cook (undisturbed) until the patty no longer looks pink for the most part before you flip it over to the other side.
- Pan – The type of pan you use for this doesn’t really matter. I’ve used both ceramic and cast iron without a problem. Just make sure that you sear the meat first before making the sauce because pan can get bits from cooking that if you try to sear the meat after the vegetables for the gravy the patties can fall apart easier.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.