Old-fashioned Salisbury Steak with Gravy

A classic vintage meal. This Old-fashioned Salisbury Steak with Gravy recipe is something that seems to have gone by the wayside. Definitely something that I remember my grandparents eating and I think most grandparents would have eaten!

This is a simple meal that pairs well with a potato and vegetable. If you are looking for something a little lighter, a simple salad would be perfect. Since you make gravy in this recipe I’m thinking a mashed potato would be a go to choice.

I have noticed this week that, even though it is warm during the day, the nights have gotten that fall chill. I thought it would be the perfect time to dive into more warm fall dinner ideas. If you are looking for an old-fashioned, cozy dinner, this is it!

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons oil (for frying)

1 medium onion, diced

½ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon red chili fakes

salt and pepper to taste

1½ to 2 lbs ground beef

1 egg

For the sauce

beef drippings

½ chopped onion

½ chopped carrot

¼ cup chopped celery

5 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

3 cups beef stock

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Method

For the sauce

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat the drippings. Add in the chopped vegetables and cook until soft. (about 5 mins)
2. Reduce heat and add in the flour. Stir and cook the flour mixture.
3. Add in the beef stock while stirring, to make a thick sauce.
4. Add in the tomato paste and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Return the sauce to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer, for one hour.
6. If you like a thinner gravy type sauce, strain the mixture before serving. If you like a thicker sauce use a stick blender to puree everything into a thick gravy.

For the steaks

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (176 °C)
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent.
3. Add the basil, cloves, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook covered for a few mins.
4. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, egg, and the cooked onion mixture. Mix together with your hands.
5. Shape the ground beef mixture into large patties about 2 cm thick.
6. In the large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add oil and two patties (depending on the size of your skillet). Cook about 12 mins turning several times.
7. Transfer the patties to a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven, to keep warm and finish cooking, while you are cooking the next batch of patties.
8. To serve place 1-2 patties on the plate and pour over the gravy-sauce. Serve along side your choice of side.

How we enjoyed our Old-Fashioned Salisbury Steak

For my family, we enjoyed ours with Marg’s Simple Oven Sauteed Carrots with Cheese and In a Hurry Country Scalloped Potatoes. We chose to keep our sauce on the thick side. For dessert we had Autumn spice Apple Crisp Cheesecake. A truly decadent meal! Doesn’t it just make you feel like fall? Even though we enjoyed summer so much, I can’t help but be excited about fall! I think it might be my favourite season. Maybe because it is, (for us anyways), the shortest season. I’m looking forward to apple picking, pumpkins, warm soups, and wearing cozy sweaters!

Variations for Old-Fashioned Salisbury Steak

Instead of ground beef you could experiment with another type of ground meat, or a mixture of ground meat.

Another great alternative for the tomato gravy in this recipe would be to use mushrooms. Sauté sliced mushrooms in with the onions and omit the tomato paste. This would make it a delicious brown mushroom gravy!