Chef John of Food Wishes specializes in “fun-to-make, and easy-to-follow recipes.” His YouTube channel has drawn nearly 800 million views and over 3 million subscribers, so you know there’s definitely something appealing to what he’s doing. His recipe videos typically get hundreds of thousands of views.
Much of his food is comfort food, but you’ll find just about everything from hamburger hash to seared tuna on his channel and blog.
One of his most popular videos is something we might normally find unlikely but clearly appealed to those reveling in nostalgia for the days of TV dinners – Salisbury steak.
Back in my day…
John starts off with an intro meant to draw in anyone who lived during a time when televisions were so big they sat on the floor and when eating in the living room involved using an actual TV tray.
“When I was a kid, we didn’t have smartphones or the internet, all we had was a TV. But we didn’t care because as we watched, we got to enjoy a little something called a ‘TV dinner.’ The king of those dinners, in my opinion, was the Salisbury steak, which is what I’ll show you how to make here, along with one of the greatest gravies ever invented. Serve with buttered mashed potatoes and a vegetable side of your choice,” he says to start things off.
Salisbury steak is more of a joke to anyone Gen X or younger – the meal of their grandparents. And TV dinners aren’t so popular these days, having more sodium than most people feel comfortable eating.
But no matter – we’re going to learn to make the kind of Salisbury steak that will tickle your tastebuds WITHOUT stopping your heart. That’s the beauty of cooking from scratch!
Ingredients:
There are two elements to the perfect Salisbury steak – the meat and the gravy.
Here’s what you’ll need for each:
For the meat:
- 1 pound of 85% lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ cup of plain bread crumbs
For the Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons of salted butter
- 12 large white button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup of diced onion
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups of low-sodium beef broth
- salt to taste
The recipe
You’ll notice that Salisbury “steak” isn’t really a steak, but rather ground beef. But give it a chance – the gravy is what really makes it great.
Here’s how to get started:
1. First, combine your ground beef, black pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, egg, cayenne, and bread crumbs in a mixing bowl.
You can mix it up any way you want, but mashing it together with clean hands is usually your best bet.
2. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (at most overnight).
This will allow the flavors to blend together.
3. When you’re done chilling the meat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick pan over high heat.
4. Then, add your sliced mushrooms, onions, and a pinch of salt and saute them all together, stirring occasionally.
Stir for 5 to 8 minutes until they are browned, then reduce the heat to medium.
5. Now, add your flour and stir the mixture for 3 minutes.
6. Next, stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth, and turn up your heat to high again.
Once it starts to simmer, reduce heat to medium.
7. Cook your mixture, stirring it occasionally until the gravy thickens. This should take about 10 minutes.
Taste the gravy and add some salt if needed.
8. Transfer your gravy to a glass measuring cup and be sure to scrape the pan clean with a silicone spatula.
9. Now it’s time to remove the meat from the refrigerator and divide it into 4 equal portions.
10. Moisten your hands and take a handful of the meat, forming it into an oval patty of about 1/2 an inch thick.
11. Season both sides of the patties lightly with salt.
12. Finally, take your gravy pan and melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
13. Add the patties and cook until browned – 2 to 3 minutes per side.
14. Finally, pour your gravy into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the gravy is hot, and the meat springs back lightly when touched. This should take about 5 minutes.
Now you’re ready to plate it!
Make sure you add some greens to make things a little healthier (especially now that you don’t have to eat the soggy frozen veggies that once came on the side of those TV dinners.
Enjoy the nostalgia!
And be sure to scroll down below to see the video recipe from Chef John!
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