Salisbury Steak Meatballs

When I was a child I remember hearing adults say how so-and-so is photogenic but so-and-so is not photogenic. I didn't understand what that meant until I started blogging and realized how some foods don't photograph well - no matter how scrumptious it may be, the picture looks like a regurgitated version of it's former self.

 

Trust me this is a before picture.

 

Salisbury steak is a dish made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients, which is shaped to resemble a steak, and is usually served with gravy or brown sauce.

 

My HWM Salisbury Steak Meatball recipe is a hybrid. I took inspiration from this recipe and also my Beef Stroganoff recipe that I copied from Bon Appetite.

 

And now for the meat-a-ball recipe!

 

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown mustard
A quarter of an onion, grated small
A shake of Worcestershire sauce
Heavy pinch of salt and pepper

This meatball mixture could have used a beaten egg to help keep them together, but Jim commented how he liked how tender and "fall apart" they were. His comment actually started with, "These are the best frozen meatballs ever." To which I replied, "That is because they are homemade."

Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and kneed until completely combined. A pound of ground beef yielded 17 1.5-2 inch meatballs.

I melted a half stick of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil in my dutch oven and heated over medium high heat. When butter melts add half the meatballs and gently move them around to brown on all sides. Remove to a clean plate after they brown and repeat with the rest of the meatballs. You don't have to ensure they are cooked through because they will have the chance to simmer in our sauce later to cook through. We just want a nice brown crust over most of the meatball at this point.

To make the sauce:
The remaining onion (3/4), sliced
2 chopped garlic cloves
Splash of cognac
1.5 cups beef broth
1 T brown mustard
1 cup half and half
2 T Worcestershire sauce
A shake of nutmeg
A shake of shake of caraway seeds
Egg Noodles


In the same dutch oven, add the sliced onions and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Next add the chopped garlic and stir for one minute. Then add the splash of cognac and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the beef broth, mustard and then the half and half.

Add the meatballs and any juices that accumulated on your plate back into the dutch oven. Add your shake of Worcestershire, nutmeg and caraway seeds. Cover and turn heat to low to let simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles. I had leftover egg noodles in the fridge, so I dumped those into my dutch oven and stirred to combine together. This served 2 adults and a child with one serving leftover for Jim to enjoy for lunch next week.