Hamburger Steak for Two

I call this "Hamburger Steak that's Actually Good" because it is.  I've never been a fan of hamburger steak, I figured if I was going to eat a hunk of hamburger it was going to be on a bun with cheese...  I have eaten some terrible hamburger steaks that were like endless chewing of dry hamburger.... *shudder*

It tastes better than it looks, not that it doesn't look pretty tasty!

HAMBURGER STEAK FOR TWO

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1/4 + 1/2 cup cracker crumbs*
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder**
1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
1/8 teaspoon (dash) ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon oil

Mix together meat, egg, 1/4 cup cracker crumbs, and seasonings.

 Mix it up good.  Use your hands, it's easier.  Just don't tell anyone.

Divide in half and form into patties.  This is were waxed paper comes in handy.

Press some cracker crumbs into the meat. 

 Then use the wax paper to flip the patties over onto a plate, where you can press some more crumbs into the other side.

 Cover the meat with the wax paper and refrigerate for a half-hour or so.  This keeps the patty from falling apart when you handle it.

Wash your hands with soap after handling raw meat!    And don't wipe your meaty hands on a dish towel and then use it later.   If you can't reach the soap and water in between steps, use a paper towel.

Add the oil and butter to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  If it smokes, it's too hot.

Just look at that happy butter!

 And just look at those patties, snuggled up in the skillet.  To give you an idea how big they are, that's a 10 inch skillet.

 Cook them about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Don't let them get black.  Overcooking makes them dry and nasty.

My side dishes weren't quite done yet, so I put them on plate and covered them up with anohter plate to keep warm.

Serve with hot noodles, or mashed potatoes, and gravy.   You can make good gravy with a can of cream of mushroom soup with a little (about 1/4 cup) water and some beef boullion granules.  Or open a can of Heinz beef gravy.   It's really good, and on sale it's only $1.

* For easy cracker crumbs, put about 2/3 of a sleeve of saltines in a zip lock bag.  Crush with a rolling pin, a glass, or just use your fingers.   If you use unsalted crackers, and you really shouldn't, you might need to add salt to the meat mixture.

** Garlic powder and onion powder are the pretty much the same as granulated garlic or onion.