Amish Country Poor Man's Hamburger Steaks

Inspired from Ohio's Amish Country's Poor Man's Steaks & Allrecipe's Poor Man's Hamburger Steaks

Ingredients

Hamburger Steak Patties

• 2 1/2  pounds ground beef (*I used lean 7% fat - see tip section below) High fat ground beef can make the steaks and gravy greasy - if using high fat ground beef, be sure to fry the meat a bit first and discard the excess fat

• 2 cups saltine cracker crumbs (approximately 1 1/2 sleeves of crackers - crushed)

• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• dash of cayenne

• flour to dredge 

Gravy

• 3 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup - OR make Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup- using the equivalent amount

• 1 can milk (use soup can)

• 1 can water (use soup can)

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Gravy: In a medium size bowl add the 3 cans of soup, milk, water, parsley and mix well - set aside.  

Hamburger Steak Patties: In a large bowl, using your hands, mix ground beef, cracker crumbs, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper until well blended. Gently form 8 to 10 large patties (don't press too hard), making them all equal size. 

Next, lightly dredge (coat) in flour and fry in a skillet with high sides on medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides - inside will still be uncooked.  

Place patties in baking dish. If making more than 6 patties, layer them - see photo above. Pour gravy evenly over patties, bake covered with foil on middle rack of oven for 1 hour or until the steak patties are well done, reaching a safe internal minimum tempertaure of 160 degrees f.

*If you are making more than 6 patties and need to layer them, turn the top layer of patties over one time, half way through baking - this was recommended by Lee Ann Miller's recipe for Ohio's Amish Recipes, Poor Man's Steaks, to insure even cooking. Her recipe does not call for covering while baking. I opted to cover to prevent mess from splattering.

Serve steaks with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, egg noodles, favorite veggies, salad. Be sure to spoon the gravy over potatoes, rice and/or noodles. Enjoy! 

Tips

• *A few comments left on allrecipes stated that their steaks/gravy were a little greasy, that's why I opted for a leaner ground beef and to lightly pan fry them first, which is what Lee Ann's recipe calls for, plus it adds more flavor. If using high fat ground beef, pan fry them a little longer and discard the excess fat.

• This recipe makes a good amount. Unless you are feeding six people, you will most likely have leftovers - but don't worry, the leftovers are great! If you want to make less, you can easily cut this recipe in half.  

• The two recipes I adapted this from, one called for covering, the other did not. I opted to cover.  

•  Lee Ann Miller's recipe for Ohio's Amish Recipes, Poor Man's Steaks calls for 1 small chopped onion or 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion, along with 1/2 cup chopped green onion. I did not add this to my steaks, my kids are not big fans of onions.

• If you love mushrooms, try adding a small can of sliced mushrooms (or use fresh) for even more mushroom flavor.   

• Love watching cooking video tutorials, head over and check out Lee Ann's video for her recipe.