Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onion Gravy

The very first person that ever looked at my blog (other than me) was a nice lady named Mary. To this day, I have no idea how she found it when I only had made two posts, but she has made a few very kind comments that are part of the reason that I have kept up my blog for this long, even though I don't really have very many people who follow it. Mary has an excellent cooking blog called One Perfect Bite. With years of experience, she posts great recipes - some that she invented or has used for a long time, and some that she makes as a tribute to other chefs. In my never-ending search for new recipes, I found this one on her blog. Her pictures of it are much better than mine, so I recommend that you visit her website and look at them. 

I had heard of Salisbury Steak before I found it on her blog, but I didn't really know what it was. She explained the background of the dish so well that I was convinced it was a Great American Tradition and that I had to try it. I attempted to follow her recipe pretty much exactly, although I might have made a few mistakes (for example: I didn't read the whole recipe before I planned the meal so I didn't realize until it was too late that it was supposed to be served over mashed potatoes or noodles. Oops.) but I still thought it was great - very flavorful - and am definitely going to make it again in the future. I hope it is okay that I re-post the same recipe with almost the same wording as Mary has it on her blog.

Onion Gravy:

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Meat Patties:

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup cooked white rice

1 egg yolk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp olive oil

To make gravy, heat butter in a large pan. Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. When onions are softened and turning golden brown, add 1/4 cup beef broth. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking, adding more broth as needed. It should take approximately 25 minutes to caramelize the onions. Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining beef broth and tomato paste. Stir in cider vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

To make patties: Mix ground beef, rice, egg yolk, salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and thyme in a bowl. Shape into 4 oval patties about 3/4-inch thick. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Sear patties about 3 minutes per side, or until a brown crust forms. Pour gravy over patties and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm with mashed potatoes or noodles.