Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy — A Ratatouille Moment

Cube steaks recently grown in popularity, because they are inexpensive and they cook very quickly in a skillet. I created this recipe one work night, when I was tired and hungry. The sauce turned out to be really flavorful, and the cooked onions gave a lot of extra flavor to this quick dinner. I served this over homemade mashed potatoes (though rice or egg noodles would work well. In less then 30 minutes, dinner was served. My husband loved it so much, that he requested it the very next night.

Now that the Christmas turkey dinners and prime ribs have been devoured, and the last of the Christmas cookies have been eaten– it’s time to get back to good ole regular food.  At least, that’s how I’m feeling.  Yes, I gorged nibbled on some chocolates. I indulged in a cookie here and there.    At times like this, there  comes a point where I want some simple home cooking, with vegetables.  When that craving hits, I want it quickly, and I don’t want to fuss over making dinner.

Cube steaks are an easy solution, because they are inexpensive and cook in a matter of minutes.  What? You’ve never had a cube steak?

A cube steak is either a piece of top round or top sirloin that has been tenderized with a masher.  I let my butcher do the work since he has a mechanical tenderizer.  One night, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I spend a few dollars on cube steak with no particular recipe in mind. I’d had a long day at the office, I was tired and hungry.

I wiped each steak dry, so that they’d brown nicely in a hot skillet. Seasoning was simple– kosher salt & pepper.  I wanted a sauce, because I wanted to make mashed potatoes. NOTE: Both steaks cost less than $7.00. 

 

So, I grabbed some beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, sliced onion and flour.  Yes, the onions could have been chopped, but I like the texture of cooked slice onion.  On another burner, I had some Yukon Gold potatoes boiling to make garlic mashed potatoes. Meat and potatoes = a sure husband pleaser.
NOTE: Mushrooms would be a perfect addition, to the gravy. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t get excited over mushrooms as much as I do. 

With a little olive oil, I seared one side of the steak until nice and brown– about 3-4 minutes.

I cooked the other side for about 3 more minutes. (Cube steaks aren’t very thick, so they cook very quickly.)  I wanted a lot of brown crusty stuff to be left in the pan, so I could get a flavorful gravy.

 ..like that.  The steaks were removed onto a plate, covered in foil and kept warm in a preheated oven, set on the WARM setting (less than 200F). I added a teensie bit more olive oil, and added one large sliced onion. These were sauteed until light golden brown– just a few minutes.

 The flour was sprinkled over the cooked onion, and cooked for a minute or two.  Then, I added about 1 cup of the beef stock, and the Worcestershire sauce. On medium-high heat, the sauce began to thicken very nicely.

I returned the steaks, with their natural juices, right back into the pan for about a minute.  Total cooking time, was less than 20 minutes.  Because I started my potatoes, first, and they were cut nice and small, they were cooked about the same time as the steaks. Using my food mill, I had creamy spuds with a bit of butter, a touch of cream cheese, and a splash of milk…okay, a tiny splash of heavy cream, too.

This is very simple comfort food, on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Pinkie promise.  By the way, egg noodles or rice would work very well with this steak and gravy.


VERDICT:  Something quite surprising happened, when my husband sat down and took his first bite. This is a true story– Craig had a faraway look in his eyes.  Very much like the scene from the movie “Ratatouille”, where the feared food critic is served a French comfort food dish.  My husband smiled, and said that the dinner I made reminded him of his childhood in Kansas City, MO.   He remembered that his mom used to make a dinner that tasted just like this one.  Suffice it to say, that my husband loved every bite, and I was so pleased that he enjoyed it as much as he did.  As for me, this dinner reminded me of the Banquet TV dinners that my mother used to heat in the oven, when I was a kid– yes, that was before microwaves were invented, but I was born after the horse and carriage. 

It’s funny how some of the most impromptu, inexpensive and fast dinners can be the one’s that demand an encore.  My husband asked me to make it, again, the very next night.  So, I decided to grab my camera, measure out the ingredients and share it with my readers. Who knows, you might have a Ratatouille Moment of your own?

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Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy — A Ratatouille Moment

Cube steaks recently grown in popularity, because they are inexpensive and they cook very quickly in a skillet. I created this recipe one work night, when I was tired and hungry. The sauce turned out to be really flavorful, and the cooked onions gave a lot of extra flavor to this quick dinner. I served this over homemade mashed potatoes (though rice or egg noodles would work well. In less then 30 minutes, dinner was served. My husband loved it so much, that he requested it the very next night.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: main

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

• 2 beef cube steaks
• 1 medium sized onion peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup beef broth or stock

Instructions

• Pat each steak dry, with a paper towel and season with coarse salt & pepper.
• Heat a skillet on medium-high with about 2 teaspoons of olive (or vegetable) oil, until shimmering and hot.
• Sear the steaks until golden brown– about 2-3 minutes. Turn over and cook the same way.
• Remove from the skillet, onto a plate and cover with foil. I like to keep my steaks in a warm oven. There should be a lot of brown fond (crust) on the bottom of the pan; that's where all the flavor for the sauce comes from.
• Add a little more olive oil, then add the onion.
• Cook until soft and slightly golden– 3-5 minutes.
• Add the flour, and stir to cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add the beef stock, stirring all the while, and then the Worcestershire sauce.
• Bring to a simmer until nicely thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add a dash more beef stock.
• Return the steaks, and their natural juices, to the pan and heat for about 1 more minutes.
• Serve over mashed potatoes (or rice or egg noodles).

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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