Salisbury steak — United States

Salisbury steak is a dish of seasoned ground beef shaped into an oval patty rather than formed into a bun, then browned and finished in a savory brown gravy. It takes its name from Dr. James Salisbury, a 19th-century American physician who promoted diets built around minced beef, though the dish as it is eaten today has moved well beyond his early recommendations. It became a staple of home cooking and diner menus across the United States over the 20th century, prized as an inexpensive way to make ground beef feel like a proper cooked meal with gravy and a starchy side. It is closely tied to American comfort food and, later, to frozen ready meals, which carried it into households far from where it started. The beef is mixed with breadcrumbs, egg, minced onion, and seasoning, then shaped into patties and seared in a hot pan until browned on both sides. The patties are set aside while sliced onions and mushrooms cook in the same pan, and a gravy is built from broth thickened with flour, often lifted with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. The patties return to the pan to finish cooking gently in the gravy, which lets them absorb its flavor. It is almost always served with mashed potatoes to soak up the gravy, and green beans or peas are a common side. Recipes vary in the ratio of breadcrumbs to meat and in how much gravy is used, and some cooks add mushrooms while others keep the gravy plain with just onions.