Sunday Special: Hamburger Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

Good afternoon everyone! If you're anything like us, your weekends at home can turn out some great "spur of the moment" recipes. We call up old favorites, get creative with new ideas or simply make some good old fashioned homestyle dishes. Our Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons have turned out some great culinary adventures over the past few years and I thought it was about time we started sharing some of them.

So, we're introducing a new feature to the blog to run on a fairly regular basis (at least a couple weekends a month) that we're calling "Sunday Specials". The concept is simple, we'll share a quick, creative or otherwise new recipe that we normally wouldn't feature during the week. It's weekend cooking perfect for taking it easy and feeding the whole family (or just yourself a few times over).


The Recipe: Hamburger Gravy & Mashed Potatoes
This is an Out of the Culinary original recipe

What You'll Need:

1 Pound Ground Beef (80/20)
1 Small White Onion (Chopped)
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Frozen Peas
2 Cups Beef Broth (Low sodium)
4 Tablespoons Flour
3-4 Medium Russet Potatoes (Peeled, boiled, mashed)


Hamburger gravy is a weekend cooking staple. It's easy to throw together, goes with just about any starch you have on hand and is easily adaptable to a number of seasonings and spices, meaning it can please even the pickiest pallets. The issue we had is that standard hamburger gravy recipes are "white sauce" heavy (I.E. they include heavy cream or milk). Being less than lactose inclined - I set out to change the dish without losing the concept - thus the inclusion of beef broth.

Begin by browning the hamburger in a large non stick skillet. Drain the excess fat and return the hamburger to the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it becomes translucent. Add the frozen peas and corn to the skillet and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the veggies have softened.

Next, slowly stir in the beef broth and then cover. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to cook (covered) for roughly 5 minutes. The veggies should now be cooked completely through. Finally, slowly stir in one tablespoon of flour, stirring constantly to incorporate it evenly in the mixture. Continue adding flour until your mixture becomes thick and gravy like. The amount of flour you'll need will vary depending on how much liquid was in your skillet and how thick you like your gravy.

Before serving, give the gravy a taste. Season with salt and pepper as you prefer. You can also add a little bit something more if you'd like. I added a few shakes of onion powder, just to make the gravy "pop" a little more. The only limitation to seasoning is your imagination - try out different combinations and see what you like best.

Serve over mashed potatoes (or biscuits, bread - etc.) and enjoy!