The Budget Old-School Beef Dish Amanda Freitag Wants Back In The Spotlight

Millions of Americans are familiar with cookbook author and longtime face of the Food Network Amanda Freitag. A critically acclaimed chef with professional roots in the New York City dining scene, Freitag was also a judge on the cooking competition show "Chopped" from the show's 2009 debut until 2023. In October 2025, we spoke with Freitag at the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival presented by Baha Mar, where she shared with us which budget, old-school beef dish she thinks most deserves a comeback: Salisbury steak.

Salisbury steak isn't what most people would call a steak — it's essentially a meatloaf with fillers and seasonings, but instead of being baked as a loaf, the mixture is flattened and grilled like a burger. It's traditionally served smothered in a mushroom gravy.

Recalling a Meatopia event she worked years ago with late chef Josh Ozersky, Freitag reminisced, "We put a lot of fat in the meat mix, and then we did it on a grill. We char-grilled the little patties, and then we made it delicious, like wild mushroom sauce." To season the beef, Freitag included shallots, garlic, chives, bacon fat, and butter, packing this humble dish with tons of flavor.

Amanda Freitag's addition of aromatics and two types of fat underscore what makes Salisbury steak so good: seasonings and ingredients. Another celebrity chef, whom Freitag once faced on "Iron Chef America," has some easy tips. Bobby Flay elevates Salisbury steak with three ingredients: cremini mushrooms for richer umami, half-and-half for creaminess, and tomato paste to fill out the gravy.

Another factor to consider is how well the meat mixture is actually mixed, especially if you're adding lots of ingredients. Consider using a stand mixer to make the perfect Salisbury steak — the paddle attachment on common models can easily and evenly fold all of the components together without getting raw beef and garlic stuck under your fingernails. Just don't forget to scrape the bowl down to incorporate all of the flavors.

Freitag's thoughtful mixture of fats and aromatics imbues the beef with rich flavor, which you can effortlessly blend with a stand mixer. A refined gravy dotted with sophisticated ingredients brings this old-school, budget-friendly beef dish closer to fine dining than frozen dinners.