Salisbury steak is one of those old-fashioned entrees that simply doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s easy to make, taking the stress out of the age-old question: What’s for dinner? And it uses pretty much all the ingredients you have in your pantry.
Nonetheless, it’s dismissed by many as plain, perhaps too ordinary for today’s cooks who want something that goes beyond grandma’s Sunday suppers. For starters, many recipes use canned soup – oh no! And when you think about it, Salisbury steak is really nothing more than a ground meat patty with gravy. But what’s wrong with that? It’s the ultimate comfort food after a busy day at work or entertaining the kids on a long summer day.
Of course, you can jazz up the dish by combining meats, such as ground beef and veal, and make a fancy mushroom bechamel sauce rather than gravy. That’s how chefs Matt Danzer and Ann Redding do it at their swanky Manhattan restaurant, Mr. Donahue’s. But that really changes things.
Salisbury steak has been around since the late 1800s when American doctor James Salisbury recommended it for the treatment of digestive problems, according to the physician’s “Relation of Alimentation and Disease.” He suggested using the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled and served with mustard, lemon juice or horseradish.
OK, history lesson over. Thankfully we no longer make it according to his recipe, but this recipe is almost as simple. Serve it with some mashed potatoes or a baked potato and a salad, and dinner’s ready to go.