Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy

1 lb (500 g) ground beef, turkey, lamb or pork
¼ cup (50 mL) dry bread crumbs
1 egg
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) black pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz (250 g) fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
½ tsp (2 mL) crumbled dried thyme
1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) beef or chicken broth (use chicken broth if patties are turkey; otherwise, beef)
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well, then form into 4 oval patties, about ½ in (1 cm) thick. (The oval shape is key here — you don’t want these mistaken for regular old burgers. They’re steak!)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles in the pan (stand back, kids) add the patties, arranging them so they don’t touch each other. Brown patties well on both sides, turning over once — about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.

Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until transparent (add a bit of vegetable or olive oil to pan if it becomes too dry). Add the mushrooms and thyme, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stir well, then add the broth. Cook, stirring constantly to eliminate lumps, until sauce starts simmering and begins to thicken. Return patties to pan, nestling them into the sauce amid the mushrooms. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the Salisbury steaks over once and basting with sauce occasionally.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with plenty of fluffy mashed potatoes to soak up the gravy.

Makes 4 servings.

Kids can
• Form meat mixture into patties.
• Help trim and slice mushrooms.