Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onion Gravy

This savory Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onion Gravy is a made-from-scratch recipe that is pure comfort food heaven. Pour that delicious gravy over mashed potatoes and your taste-buds will thank you.

The very first time I had Salisbury Steak was in the elementary school cafeteria for lunch.  Probably showing my age, but this was a time when the “lunch ladies” actually cooked all of the food right in the school’s kitchen. It was served hot and fresh.  Best meals ever.  I am not a “gravy” person. It has its place with me and very little at a time.  However, this – this Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onion Gravy I can eat the gravy all by itself.

Through the years, I’m sure I’ve had Salisbury Steak by way of frozen meals or if my parents prepared the dish but I had never made it until I was married for a few years.  My husband isn’t a “brown gravy” person – he prefers chicken or turkey gravy so when I make this recipe, it’s a real treat for me.  He does enjoy it and even has seconds.

Normally, I like recipes that aren’t so heavy on the prep or cooking time but caramelizing onions is not a quick process.  You can’t rush it or you’ll end up with mushy burned onions.  Gross.  So, let them do their thing in their own time-frame. It’s so worth it.

I also like to cut down on the dishes and extra oil so I tend to brown my beef patties on the grill over pan browning them. You can also use a grill pan or just a skillet if you don’t have a grill.

It’s pure comfort food – in the bestest way possible.

Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onions

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Author: Lisa Kerhin

Ingredients

To Make the Onion Gravy:

• 2 large red onions thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups unsalted beef stock
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or 1/2 cup beef stock optional
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

To Make the Beef Patties:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup oatmeal you can use breadcrumbs, Panko, or even cooked rice
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

To make gravy:

• Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, until the onions start to brown. Give them a stir occasionally.
• Add 1/4 cup of the beef stock when the onions are a deep, rich brown. Reduce heat, continue cooking, adding more stock as needed to prevent caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan from burning. It takes a bit of time for the onions to caramelize - about 15 - 20 minutes. Rushing it will only produce burnt onions.
• When the onions are caramelized, stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, to cook out the "flour" taste.
• Add wine (or beef broth) and simmer till it's reduced by half (about 10 min).
• Stir in remaining beef broth, tomato paste, and cider vinegar; adding salt and pepper to suit your tastes. Then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. The gravy will thicken as it cooks more.
• Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

To make the beef patties:

• Mix all ingredients for beef patties except the olive oil.
• Shape into 4 - 6 oval patties. I like to make them on the smaller side but feel free to make them a bit larger.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Alternatively, you can also sear and brown the patties on the grill or a grill pan, which I do often.
• Sear patties about 3 minutes per side, or until a brown crust forms. If grilling, remove from grill and place in pan with gravy and simmer for about 10-15 minutes more until patties are cooked through. Otherwise, pour gravy over patties and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes more until patties are cooked through. Serve.
• I like to serve Salisbury Steak with mashed potoates and roasted corn.

Enjoy!