Salisbury Steak and Cheese Toast

I though I would blog about what I made for dinner tonight... before it's even cleaned up! Yes, my kitchen is still a mess from making-and-eating dinner and I'm definitely in avoidance mode. YET, it was so delish that I wanted to make sure I got it on my blog to share with y'all as soon as I could! So consider this a sacrifice... time I could be spending cleaning is spent sharing with you. Ha ha!

So, are you looking for a relatively quick dinner that you can make with ingredients you probably have on hand? This recipe fits the bill, and is soooo good to boot. I did have to buy ground beef because I was out of my frozen supply, and I also bought the cheese toast ingredients (which are totally optional, but worth the slight cost). But other than that, with a few substitutions from the original recipe, I had everything on hand to make it.

I know, I know... you're thinking "TV Dinner" when I tell you about Salisbury Steak. Would I ever put a bland recipe on my blog, though? This elevates TV Dinner to "I would serve this to guests." Yes, it's a glorified hamburger, but I bet this is something you've never tried with your ground beef!

FRENCH ONION SALISBURY STEAK

makes 4 steaks

1 lb ground beef

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 c. thinly sliced onion

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp minced garlic (I used dried, 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp tomato paste (I used 1/2 cup ketchup)

2 c. beef broth (I used 2 c. water and 3 beef bouillon cubes)

1/4 c. red wine (yes, I use it. You don't have to)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Combine meat, salt, and pepper. Form four 1" thick patties. Dredge patties in flour. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and saute 3 minutes on each side or until browner. Remove from pan.

Add onion and sugar to pan; saute 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and potato paste; saute 1 minute or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle with 1 tsp flour, cook 1 minute. Add broth and wine, then add salt and thyme.

Return meat to pan; bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion sauce ladled over.

CHEESE TOASTS:

4 slices French or Sourdough Bread (sliced diagonally 1" thick)

2 Tbsp soft butter

1 tsp dry garlic

1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet. Combine butter and garlic and spread on one side of the bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over the butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly, 10-15 minutes.