SALISBURY STEAK

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun it has been re-creating this Salisbury Steak TV Dinner. Writing the blog, not so much. Haha! I have decided to devote an entire section of my recipe blog to “That 70’s Food.” See, I grew up in the 70’s. My Mom is an amazing cook. She made sure we had a home cooked meal every single night. I’m fairly certain this is the reason I cook for my Husband at least five times a week. Even though I may not prepare the same types of meals as she did back then, I think it’s going to be so much fun creating these throwback dishes for today. Some will be upgraded, and others will be just like my Mommy made them. Stay tuned.

TV DINNERS

This is the first in my “TV Dinner” series. It’s funny because as one of five children, we thought tv dinners were a treat. No, really? Now they can be! This Salisbury Steak TV Dinner is all homemade. And honestly, how cute are these trays? I cannot even believe I found them on Amazon. What great fun this will be to make with your children. Click here to order the trays! This meal will take a bit longer to prepare than most. However, it will totally be worth it! If you have not yet purchased a cast iron pan, you really need one for this recipe. You will be using it a lot! Click here for the one I used.

HOW TO PREPARE A SALISBURY STEAK MEAL

PREPPING THE MIXTURE FOR SALISBURY STEAK

I had a few things working simultaneously. Doing this really cut down my overall time. See my “HINT” below if you are uncomfortable having so many pans in the fire at once, so to speak! Place the ground meat in a big bowl and allow to come to room temperature. In a small bowl, add the heavy cream and begin tearing off tiny pieces of the bread. Allow the bread to soak.

Heat a cast iron pan to medium. Add in the butter and diced white onions. Allow to cook down for a few minutes. You are just looking to soften the onions, not necessarily brown them. Remove from pan. Reserve in a bowl and allow to cool.

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In the same pan, add in the tablespoon of butter for the gravy recipe and the sliced shallots. Allow the shallots to soften just a few minutes. Remove and reserve in separate bowl. Wipe the inside of the cast iron pan to remove any oil. Turn heat to medium-high. Place the sliced mushrooms. The mushrooms will cook relatively fast. Avoid over cooking as you want a bit of substance. Remove from pan and reserve in the same bowl as the shallots.

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PREPPING THE MASHED POTATOES

Peel and cut your potatoes. Place in a pot of cool water with a few touches of kosher salt. Cook on medium-high until the potatoes fall apart with a fork. Do NOT overcook, or you may end up with “mushy” potatoes.

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CINNAMON APPLES

While the potatoes are cooking away, grab the same cast iron pan you used for the onions and mushrooms. Make sure you clean it well. Just sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and drizzle of olive oil in the pan. Rub with a cloth/paper towel. Peel and slice your apples. Melt the two tablespoons of butter in the cast iron pan. Add in the apples and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Cook until tender, but not mushy or falling apart.

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Once the apples have reached the proper consistency, make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Pour on top of the apples. Allow the slurry to completely coat the apples. Sprinkle in the nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir and allow the sauce to come together. The sauce will become thicker and caramelize slightly. Reserve pan fried apples and sauce in a bowl. Clean pan as you will be using it one more time!!!

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FINISHING THE MASHED POTATOES

The potatoes should be finished cooking at this point. Drain. Do NOT rinse. Place potatoes back in same pot and set back on burner for just about thirty seconds to cook off any excess water. I am old school and love to mash my potatoes with a hand mixer or potato masher. I think there are the best methods, so as to ensure, they are not over mixed, Over mixing can cause the potatoes to become “gummy.” Remove pot from stove. Add three-quarters of the stick of butter, the cream and the sour cream to the potatoes. Mix until they are nice and fluffy. If you notice the potatoes are a little dry, add just a touch more cream and/or sour cream. Top with the remaining butter, place lid and reserve.

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PREPARING THE SALISBURY STEAK

We are almost there. Turn your attention back to the ground meat. Without mixing yet, add in the creamed soaked bread, cooled onions, kosher salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, egg and fresh parsley. Mix just enough to incorporate all of the ingredients. Over mixing will cause a toughness to the patties.

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Heat up the cast iron pan to medium. Form patties with the meat mixture. The patties should not be quite as thick as a burger, nor as round. Think more like meatball-sized, that are flattened down. Once the pan is ready, fry the patties on both sides. Cook through. Try to get them as brown as you can without burning. You will have to do fry the patties in batches. Reserve cooked patties on a plate.

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PREPARING THE GRAVY FOR SALISBURY STEAK

Remove all, but about a few tablespoons of the fat from the pan used to fry the patties. Try not to remove the browned bits. Coat the grease with the flour and powder from the beef onion soup (I use a strainer to catch the onion bits and discarded them). Cook for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Whisk in two cups of the beef stock. Turn the heat up just a bit. As you are whisking, you will notice the sauce will start to form a gravy.

If the gravy is too thick, add in a touch more of the remaining stock. Just a little at a time. Add a few pinches of black pepper and taste for additional salt. You can even throw in a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce if you would like. Once the gravy is perfect, add in your reserved mushroom and shallots.

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TO FINISH AND SERVE THE SALISBURY STEAK

Place the patties in the pan and coat with the luscious gravy mixture. Serve this Salisbury Steak along side the homemade mashed potatoes and apples, or do what I did and create your very own TV dinner. I added two patties covered in the mushroom/shallot gravy to the tray. Pipe in the mashed potatoes. Add a few of the pan fried apples. Finish with white shoepeg corn to complete my Salisbury Steak TV Dinner. ENJOY a blast from the past!

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HINT: There are a lot of moving parts to this recipe. I cook a lot, so I kind of know the timing on everything. If you feel uncomfortable having so many things going on at the same time, by all means prepare the apples and mashed potatoes ahead of time.

LET’S GET SOCIAL!

I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure to contact him. He is known as one of the best skate sharpeners in the world!

Our life has changed dramatically in the past few years with the passing of our two goldendoodles, Vegas and Viva. We were lucky enough to have Vegas for five years (totally wish it was longer). Most recently, losing our Viva to a brain tumor in July of 2020. We welcomed our mini goldendoodle 7, almost seven years ago. We just added the amazing Hazel! Of course, I am always posting tons and tons of photos! Be sure to check out my recipe for Pet Bone Broth! This broth is super rich in nutrients and will provide your pet with a multitude of health benefits!

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