Salisbury Steaks with French Onion Gravy Recipe

Salisbury Steaks with French Onion Gravy is made with tender, juicy ground sirloin patties enriched with a milk-soaked bread panade and savory Worcestershire sauce. The star of the show is the rich, golden onion gravy, slow-cooked with white wine and thyme until sweet and melting. It is the ultimate retro comfort food meal that elevates the humble hamburger steak into a sophisticated dinner for four.

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Salisbury Steaks with French Onion Gravy Ingredients

For the French Onion Gravy:

• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil): For drizzling.
• 2 tablespoons Butter: Adds richness to the caramelized onions.
• 2 large Onions: Sliced thinly. These provide the sweet, savory base of the gravy.
• Salt and Coarse Black Pepper: To taste.
• Pinch of Ground Thyme: Complements the beef and onions.
• 1 Bay Leaf: Adds aromatic depth.
• 2 tablespoons Flour: To thicken the gravy.
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine: For deglazing and adding acidity.
• 1 cup Beef Stock: Creates the body of the sauce.

For the Steaks:

• 2 pieces Stale White Bread: Crusts trimmed.
• Milk or Half-n-Half: Enough to soak the bread.
• 1 2/3 pounds Ground Sirloin: A flavorful cut with the right fat ratio.
• 1 large Egg: Beaten, to bind the meat.
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce: Essential for that deep, beefy flavor.
• 3 tablespoons Grated Onion: Grating the onion ensures the flavor infuses the meat without chunky bits.
• Watercress: Optional, for a fresh peppery garnish.

How To Make Salisbury Steaks with French Onion Gravy

1. Caramelize the onions: Place a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and melt the butter into it. Add the sliced onions, season with salt, pepper, and a little ground thyme, and toss in the bay leaf. Cook gently for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, sweet, and light golden in color.
2. Prepare the panade: Meanwhile, place the stale bread in a bowl and cover with enough milk or half-n-half to soak. Once soft, squeeze the excess liquid out of the bread and crumble it into a large mixing bowl. This “panade” keeps the steaks incredibly moist.
3. Form the patties: To the bowl with the bread, add the ground sirloin, beaten egg, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until combined. Form the mixture into 4 thick, oval-shaped loaves (about 1-inch thick).
4. Sear the steaks: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat loaves and cook for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are browned on the outside and cooked through. Transfer the meat to a warm plate to rest.
5. Thicken the gravy: Sprinkle the flour over the caramelized onions in the first pan and stir for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Deglaze the empty meat skillet with the white wine, scraping up the tasty browned bits, and pour this liquid into the onions.
6. Finish the dish: Pour the beef stock into the onion mixture. Simmer for a moment until the gravy thickens to your liking. Remove the bay leaf. Serve the savory gravy generously poured over the Salisbury steaks, garnished with watercress if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Grate the Onion: Grating the onion for the meat mixture is a game-changer. It releases onion juice that seasons the beef from the inside out and avoids the texture of raw onion chunks in the patty.
• Don’t Rush the Onions: Good French onion gravy relies on the natural sugars in the onions caramelizing. If you turn the heat up too high, they will burn before they soften. Low and slow is the key.
• The Panade Technique: Using milk-soaked bread instead of dry breadcrumbs creates a lighter, fluffier texture similar to a meatball, preventing the steak from becoming a tough, dense puck.
• Deglazing: Pouring the wine into the meat pan first ensures you capture all the “fond” (the stuck-on brown bits of meat), which adds incredible meaty depth to the onion gravy.

What To Serve With Salisbury Steaks?

This dish screams for a classic potato side. A mound of buttered mashed potatoes is traditional and acts as a perfect vessel for the extra onion gravy. For a bit of texture, roasted root vegetables or steamed green beans with almonds work beautifully. A slice of garlic bread is also excellent for soaking up the sauce.

How To Store Leftovers Salisbury Steaks?

• Refrigerate: Store the steaks and gravy together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat, adding a splash of beef broth or water if the gravy has become too thick.
• Freeze: The cooked patties freeze well in the gravy for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Salisbury Steaks Nutrition Facts

• Calories: ~550 kcal
• Fat: 30g
• Carbohydrates: 20g
• Protein: 45g
• Nutrition information is estimated per serving based on 4 servings.

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