Hamburger Steak with Onion & Mushroom Gravy

Hamburger Steak with Onion & Mushroom Gravy

I had planned to wait and publish this blog post in a week or so when I know I won't have time to write. But the recipe is too good to keep under wraps. So here you go. Enjoy it now!

You would have to have known Mommy as a newlywed to fully appreciate this meal. When she married, she was accomplished in so many things. But cooking was not one of them. She made a lot of cheese quesadillas, Kraft macaroni & cheese and hot dogs in those days. But 14 years later, after many phone calls to mom, watching FoodTV, reading food blogs and simply having to put meals on the table day after day for years, she is an excellent cook, as comfortable in the kitchen as she is singing before an audience.

I had heard about this recipe for quite some time and was happy when she offered to make it for our dinner while everyone was here over Thanksgiving week. Her daughters all love this. J-Daddy loves it. And now we see why. The seasoning is perfect—even with our tweaks.

This is a long list of ingredients. But it's not a difficult recipe. When I make something like this, I usually set out all the ingredients and measure all the spices before I start cooking. Slice your onion and mushrooms. Then it's just a matter of adding them into the pan as you go. 

Don't let the long recipe scare you. It's well worth a little extra effort. It's one of the best dishes we've tasted in a while. Better than many restaurant meals we've had. Mommy spooned the gravy over her homemade mashed potatoes this time. She said she's also served it with noodles and rice, depending on what's in her pantry. It's all good.

HAMBURGER STEAK with ONION & MUSHROOM GRAVY

1-1/2 lb. ground beef (80/20 is best)

2 tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

For the gravy:

2 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning

1-1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Handling lightly, form ground beef into 4 patties. Don't overwork the beef.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Salt and pepper burgers.

Cook burgers about 3 minutes or more, until one side is deep brown. Turn burgers over and cook until desired doneness. Remove from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet you cooked the burgers in, melt the butter. Add onions about 4 minutes. Stir occasionally, scraping up the browned bits in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and cajun seasoning.

When onions are very tender, add mushrooms and stir to combine. Cook about 2 minutes more. Add cornstarch and stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and add beef broth, soy sauce, mustard and vinegar. Continue cooking, stirring until sauce thickens, 4 or 5 minutes more. 

Return burger patties to pan and spoon gravy over them. Top with parsley and serve

I normally buy extra-lean ground beef, but Mommy said much of the flavor comes from the beef drippings so she uses the 80/20 mix here. If you are feeding 5, just make the burgers a little smaller.

If you are into clean eating, doing Whole30, or need gluten free, check the original source of this recipe, Defined Dish. Mommy makes the original version, but I don't normally stock arrowroot powder, ghee or coconut aminos in my pantry. We reworked it to use ingredients that I had here. She said the taste was a little different with our substitutions but equally good.