The Errant Cook: Salisbury Steak

On deck tonight was a recipe I hadn't tried before- Salisbury steak by the good folks over at America's Test Kitchen. If you don't subscribe to their site, never fear. They have a second site called the Feed that is completely free, and chock full of good tips and recipes. Tonight's dinner comes from the Feed.

One of the things I love about ATK's recipes is that they determine the problems, fix them, and give full explanations of *why* a particular ingredient or technique works or doesn't. Thin, tasteless sauce present in many versions of this dish posed its own set of hurdles.

An item they added to their rendition of this TV dinner classic was Port, which is a fortified wine, often sweet, and usually made in Portugal. We keep a bottle on hand for the occasional sip. If you've never tried it, you should, especially if you like red wine or whiskey but want something sweeter. I also use Port to soak raisins when making oatmeal cookies...yum!

The bottle I have on hand right now is Fonseca Tawny Porto. The "tawny" distinction means it has a darker color and a richer taste. Other ports may be called "ruby." The "Porto" distinction means the stuff was made in Portugal. Those not made there will generally just say "port," just like the bubbly stuff made in France can call itself "Champagne" and the others are just sparkling wine.

Anyway- back to the Salisbury steak. Click here for the recipe- it's easy peasy and delicious. We thought it could use a little something extra for more flavor- garlic was notably missing from the ingredients, and I will likely add it next time. Aside from that, however, it was really good! On the side, I made some mashed potatoes (more than merely a vehicle for gravy, mine are damn good by themselves) and fresh green beans.

Eat your heart out, Hungry Man!