Normally I eschew Salisbury Steak, thinking of it as classless t.v. dinner fare. But this recipe caught my eye in one of those freebie magazines they send to your home - and since I am a huge fan of all things french onion and I had some ground beef handy, I thought I'd give it a whirl.
It was actually quite good! When i think of salisbury steak i think of dried out ground beef patties in a slick greasy gravy, but this recipe turned out thick, spice-filled, and medium-rare ground sirloin in a flavorful broth reduction with plenty of onions. Served on top of cheese toasts and soaking in a shallow bowl of onion soup, it was tasty and filling. While I certainly woudln't serve this to the Queen of England, it was a quick, simple meal and definitely a more well-presented and flavorful version of a tv dinner classic. I used a cup more onions than the recipe called for, and since I had dried thyme instead of fresh, only the tiniest pinch of thyme. It can be overwhelming and I had really screwed some things up by over-thyming them in the past. (photo not mine, from Cuisine magazine online)
Combine and form 4 patties:
1 to 1.25 lbs ground sirloin
1/8 cup fresh or dried parsley
2 scallions, minced
1/4 tsp NaCl
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Dredge each patty in flour and sautee all together in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 min on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add into frying pan:
4 onions, sliced thinly
1 tsp sugar
Cook for 5 minutes, until onions are soft.
Add in: 1 tsbp tomato paste, 1 tsp minced garlic. Stir over heat 1 minute.
Add in: 2 cups beef broth, 1/4 cup dry red wine, pinch of kosher salt, pinch of fresh or dried thyme. Simmer.
Add the beef patties back into the sauce, continue to simmer till sauce is reduced by one third or so. Serve steaks in shallow bowls on cheese toasts (toasted bread topped with parmesan and then broiled quickly) with onion soup ladled over.
