We aren’t talking about Fistulina hepatica mushrooms, which are commonly known as “the beefsteak mushroom” or “poor man’s steak.” Although, we’re all about pairing steak and mushrooms together, for the record. Today, we’re shining the spotlight on poor man’s steak, a warming and cost-effective comfort food from the Amish community’s unique soul food tradition.
This affordable, hearty dish ditches the pricey ribeye and sirloin for a budget-friendly and perhaps surprising cut: Ground beef. The classic Amish-style recipe comprises ground beef mixed with cracker crumbs, chopped onions, seasoning, and a splash of milk as a binding agent. The mixture is pressed into a rectangular casserole dish and refrigerated overnight, or for at least three hours. During that chill, the flavors have time to meld and deepen, and the breadcrumbs soak up excess moisture, helping the “steaks” stay structurally intact. Although, if you’re “pressed” for time (pun intended), the ground beef mixture can also be hand-shaped into patties.
From there, the chilled meat gets sliced into square-shaped “steaks” and grilled or sauteed to brown. Once browned, the steaks are transferred to a baking dish, smothered in lush mushroom gravy, and baked for around 45 minutes to a full hour. The result is a moist, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth dinner on a dime that doesn’t require any special cooking techniques. Alternatively, for even less hands-on prep time, some cook the browned steaks in a slow-cooker, covered in the mushroom gravy, for roughly four hours.
Poor man’s steak transforms hamburger into a comfort food entree on a dime
Pro tip: Fattier ground beefs like ground sirloin, ground chuck, or ground round work best here (and often cost less than leaner cuts, to boot). Ultra-lean ground beef won’t create the high-moisture bite that makes poor man’s steak so craveable. Also on the note of affordability, a can of Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup costs just $1.32 at a Walmart in Chicago. Cream of celery also works. For a gravy-like texture, dilute the condensed soup with one empty soup can’s worth of water. For a richer bite, pour in the soup as-is.
Poor man’s steak can also be a sustainable way to reduce food waste. Got a box of Ritz crackers or saltines in the cabinet that’s about to go stale? Bust ’em out and transform ’em into a flavorful dinner. A half-empty can of coarse panko breadcrumbs can also get the job done. Zhuzh it up with flavorful seasonings like paprika, Italian seasoning, or garlic powder.
To serve, poor man’s steak is customarily plated over or beside egg noodles or mashed potatoes, spooned with more of the creamy mushroom gravy from the baking dish. To complete the meal, pair this hamburger steak and potatoes-or-noodles with steamed broccoli, peas, or garlic-roasted cauliflower florets and fresh parsley to garnish. To elevate the dish to dinner party status, this savory steak would pair fabulously with a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon or a moody nebbiolo.
