French Onion Salisbury Steak

This was a remarkably popular dish at my house. When I found the recipe initially, I thought it sounded fabulous and couldn't wait to try it out, but I wasn't sure what the reactions from the peanut gallery would be. I modified it a bit from the original, just based on personal preference and what I had on hand.

My family ate the cheese toasts (made without the swiss cheese) on the side, as we don't really do soggy bread. You just do whatever suits your fancy.

I could hardly believe my kids clamoring for seconds on the meat. They avoided the onions for the most part, but they just couldn't get enough of those turkey patties. I guess I'll be making extras of those next time. And I don't mind eating their onions. They were delicious!

Recipe: (Adapted from Nutmeg Nanny)

French Onion Salisbury Steak:
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef or turkey

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (I used homemade whole wheat)

1 egg
1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley – minced
1 T. minced dried onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onions – sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic – minced
1 tablespoon ketchup

1 t. flour
2 cups beef broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Optional garnishes:
4 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
4 teaspoon Parmesan cheese – shredded

Cheese Toasts:
4 slices French bread or baguette – cut diagonally (1/2″ thick)
2 tablespoon unsalted butter – softened
1/2 teaspoon garlic – minced
Pinch of paprika
1/4 cup Swiss cheese – grated
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese – grated

Combine meat, breadcrumbs, egg, basil, minced onion, salt and pepper. Divide evenly into desired number of patties. I made 9 smallish ones. Place 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and saute 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add onions and sugar to pan; saute 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and ketchup; saute 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth then add the salt and thyme.

Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan if desired.

For the Cheese Toasts

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Place bread on baking sheet.

Combine butter, garlic and paprika and spread on one side of each slice of bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly, 10-15 minutes.