Hamburger Cream Steaks
A nostalgic dinner elevated with from-scratch dill cream sauce.
Hamburger Cream Steaks sounds like a fancy weekend endeavor, but it’s actually a recipe with a lot of weeknight speediness. The hamburgers are fortified with simple pantry and refrigerator staples and seared to lock in the moisture. A quick onion and black pepper fortified cream sauce makes the perfect companion for a mighty meaty meal.
Hamburger steaks are nostalgic, forever associated with TV dinners and mid-century meals, yet it’s a great way to transform a package of ground meat into something special. Here the ground meat is mixed with onions, egg, bread crumbs, cream, salt, and pepper. After the patties are formed, they are pan seared until golden and cooked through.
In the same pan, the sauce is formed. Onions and garlic soften and sauté before being the base for a roux. Stock and heavy cream are the liquids to make this sauce not just flavorful but silky and rich.
With dill mixed into the cream sauce, the hamburgers reenter the saucepan for a final simmer.
The result is nothing short of delicious. Breadcrumbs, a single egg, and cream protect the ground meat from drying out and seal in the juicy moisture.
Making a proper cream sauce means that the sauce is rich and silky smooth, with onion bits of onion, garlic, and dill accenting each bite.
Hamburger Cream Steaks is a great meal to make during the week as it requires no chilling, marinating, or resting; everything is made from start to finish without any needed pauses.
It’s that classic hamburger steak that we know so well but elevated in a creamy and herby way.
Hamburger Cream Steaks
For the hamburger steaks:
- 1.3 pounds ground beef
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 large onion, finely diced or grated
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
For the cream sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
To make the hamburgers:
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, heavy cream, egg, salt, and pepper, mixing until just combined.
- Divide into 4 portions, shaping into 4 balls, flattening until 1/2 inch thick, and set aside.
- Cook the hamburgers in a nonstick skillet, cooking 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer hamburgers onto a clean plate.
To make the sauce:
- In the same pan melt the butter, add onion, cooking on medium heat until golden and softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
- Season with salt and pepper; add flour, whisking until the flour lumps have dissipated. Lower the heat to medium-low and add in the stock first, followed by the heavy cream, whisking continuously until it thickens. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the dill.
- Nestle the hamburgers into the sauce and let everything simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper and garnish with remaining dill. Enjoy!