Steak:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tablespoons dry onions
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons flour
Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups beef broth (made from
bouillon cubes is fine)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Dash pepper
These steaks are similar to the ones
served by the national school lunch program,
and country style restaurants, only much
much better. My children really enjoy this
dish, but Fred is absolutely in love with
it. Besides his meatloaf, this is his
favorite ground beef dish in the whole wide
world.
Begin by preparing the steaks. In a cereal
bowl combine the flour, salt and pepper. Mix
it up with a fork to distribute the
seasonings evenly. Measure 1/4 cup of the
seasoned flour, and set the rest aside until
later. In a large bowl combine the ground
beef, dry onions and the 1/4 cup of seasoned
flour you just measured. Use your hands to
combine it like meatloaf. Pat the meat flat
into a 9" by 13" rectangular pan. The meat
will be very thin. Score or cut the meat
into 16 squares with a knife or a pizza
cutter. Take the reserved seasoned flour and
pat it on top of the meat. Bake at 400° for
about 20 minutes. The meat will shrink up,
and there will be a lot of fat floating in
the pan. Carefully drain off the fat and
recut the squares.
Prepare the gravy while the meat is cooking.
Melt the margarine in a small skillet. Add
the flour. Cook and stir this for a few
minutes over low heat so that the flour
browns a little bit, watch it carefully so
it doesn't burn. This will make the finished
gravy a pretty and appetizing brown color.
After the flour is the color of coffee with
cream added, stir in the beef broth. Usually
I just add two cups of water and 2 beef
bouillon cubes. Also add the onion powder
and a sprinkle of pepper. Stir the gravy
until it is smooth and bring it to a boil.
Simmer for a few minutes, or until it is
slightly thickened, but still a little thin.
The gravy is thin because this makes it
easier for the meat to absorb it some. Pour
the prepared gravy over the steaks in the
pan, after you have drained off the fat.
Serve with instant mashed potatoes, green
beans, canned peaches, and butter-bread.
This recipe serves 6.
If desired, you can make a double batch.
After cooking everything, arrange the cooked
meat in a freezer to microwave container.
Cover the meat with the gravy and freeze for
a month or two. This is almost like the
frozen Salisbury Steaks available in family
size packages at the market. These are a lot
healthier though, and much less expensive
too.
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