SALISBURY STEAK MEATBALLS WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

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Meatballs are a comfort food for most families and they are usually a food many kids will readily eat. I know mine does and because of that I often serve new flavored foods in the form of a meatball.
Sweet and Sour? Korean Bulgogi? Greek? My daughter has tried them all.
In my family meatballs are a gateway food. After she had Sweet and Sour meatballs, she was ready to try sweet and sour chicken which was something I was not successful at getting her to try before. Then onto conquering Greek meatballs. Another battle won. Now she loves gyros. This has gone on time and time again until I have a child with a pretty good palette for her age.

SALISBURY STEAK MEATBALLS WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• For the Meatballs:
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, regular, Panko or GF
• 1/4 cup milk or water
• 1½ lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• ¼ cup (4 tbsp) ketchup
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard [See Note 1]
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce [see Note 2]
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• For the gravy:
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce [See Note 2]
• 1 cup unsalted beef broth
• 2 tbsp cornstarch [See Note 3]
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• Optional garnish
• chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you’re serving the meatballs with mashed potatoes, fill a medium pot with water about 3/4 full and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Heat this over high heat to bring to a boil. You want just enough water to cover the potatoes during cooking. While the water is heating, peel and dice the potatoes. Remember: Smaller potatoes cook faster thank large chunks. Add these to the pot even if the water is not boiling yet. Be sure to salt the water liberally.
2. Meanwhile, into a large bowl, add the hamburger, bread crumbs, milk (or water), egg, onions, ketchup, mustard powder, Worcestershire, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix well with your hands taking care not to compact or “squish” the meat – I use my fingertips. Compacting the meat during mixing leads to dense meatballs.
3. Add two tablespoons of olive oil into a large non-stick (Teflon coated) skillet set over medium-high heat.
4. Shape meat into 1-inch meatballs – about the size of a golf ball. Add the meatballs to the skillet. If you have a smaller skillet, you may need to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding leads to steaming rather than browning the meat.
5. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Once browned, move the meatballs around the edge of the pan and start the base of the gravy in the middle area of the skillet. If you have a smaller skillet, you may need to remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
6. Add butter to the center of the skillet and melt completely. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onion is soft and translucent – about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the onions and mushrooms, then stir to coat. I find this helps with clumping. Add the beef broth and stir to combine working out any lumps you find. Move the meatballs around back into the full pan. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and bring to a full boil. Cornstarch needs to boil to activate thickening. After about 3 to 5 minutes, the sauce should begin to thicken. If the sauce becomes too thick add a bit more beef broth or water. If the sauce is too thin, mix another 1 tbsp of cornstarch into 1 tbsp of cold water and stir to combine. Then add this mixture directly to the sauce to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
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