Quick Fix With Ground Beef ….
My dear readers, My Mother was a magician with using hamburger in recipes. Years ago, ground beef was about the cheapest meat around and believe me when I tell you that I have had Hamburger in everything from plain ole hamburgers to pizza, meat loaf, soup, spaghetti, cabbage rolls, bierocks, sloppy joes, tacos, casseroles, dips, nachos …well, you can name it and I would almost be 100 percent sure that I have eaten your hamburger recipe at one time or another while growing up…or into my adult life.
Don’t get me wrong….there is absolutely nothing wrong with using ground beef….it is so versatile and preparing it usually takes just a few minutes out of your busy day. So it is a great “go-to”, quick fix for Dinner.
I decided to use ground beef (or hamburger as we have always called it) to make dinner over the week-end. I needed a quick fix because there were sports games on the tube….and I didn’t want to miss a minute of any game. (There were 4 football play off games and a basketball game). So I made Smothered Steak as we used to call it…now-a-days, one will refer to it as Smothered Hamburger Steak. It is a lot like Salisbury Steak…so it just depends on what you want to call it and what ingredients you want to put in. It is that simple.
Speaking of ingredients…these vary with the cook. I like to add mushrooms whereas many cooks like to add mushroom soup. I like to spice it up with red chili flakes….some cooks might find that too spicy. I have added chopped cilantro or chopped parsley or sometimes if I feel a bit adventurous, I will add Asian flavors like ginger or pineapple or both…..you can’t go wrong with any ingredients I don’t believe. I also like to serve my hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and a salad, but I have a dear friend who serves hers on a bun with just a small amount of “sauce” ….as she calls the gravy.
How do you make your Smothered Hamburger Steak, my dear readers? I am sure you have a variation.
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste for the "gravy" or "sauce"
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into patties and flatten (do not overwork the meat or your hamburger patties will be tough and dry)
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties and after turning once...add the onion and mushroom slices cooking for at least 3 minutes per side. Remove the patties only from the skillet and set aside.Cover with foil to keep them warm while making the gravy or sauce.
- Turn the heat to low and add the butter to the drippings, stirring to combine. Add the flour and stir to incorporate the onions and mushrooms. Add the beef broth and de-glaze the skillet by scrapping the cooked bits with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat to thicken the gravy
- Add salt and pepper and chili flakes and continue stirring until the gravy is a consistency you like.
- Lower the heat and add the hamburger patties back into the skillet. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes before serving with mashed potatoes or veggies of your choice.
- I really love fresh mushrooms, but my Mother would use a can of mushroom soup.
- I like to give my "gravy" or sauce a bit of zing so I add red chili flakes but this is optional.
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.