Parsley Peppercorn Beef Patties, for a home table

These short and direct beef patties are made with ground beef, parsley and peppercorn, and served with cream sauce

A pound of ground beef… the glorious beef…

Some of you might have a packet sitting in the fridge right now. Don’t you?

Well, what is your plan?
If you don’t have anything in mind, try this Parsley Peppercorn Beef Patties. This French inspired poor man’s gourmet dinner might be your next best thing for the ground beef. This is one of our favorite western recipes that we make often when we are in hurry.

All you need is ground beef, fresh parsley, garlic, freshly cracked pepper, and a little chicken stock and cream. And of course, a little bit of butter will make everything tastes good. The ingredients are something that most of us might already have in our fridge or pantry.

If our memory is correct, we found this recipe in one of those housekeeping magazine at a dentist office many years ago. We had never understood people who rips the magazine pages provided at the doctor’s office until the moment we saw this recipe on the page.

We had an urge to tear the page off. But we couldn’t. Instead, we memorized the recipes. We came home and made it fresh out of our memory and boy! Was it savory or what?

This might not be the exact same recipe as written on the page but should be close enough. We've made it many times and adjusted in a way that works for us. We hope it works for you, too.

And the real beauty of this recipe? Getting your creamy French dinner ready in about 20 minutes without breaking your bank account.

You gotta love that.

How the dish comes together

In a mixing bowl combine ground beef (as lean as possible), chopped fresh parsley and minced garlic together. Season with kosher salt and mix with a spoon.

Form into thick patties, any size you like.

Sprinkle lots of freshly cracked black peppercorn on both sides and pat gently with your fingers to help adhere to the patties.

Melt a tablespoon of butter on a skillet.

Brown your patties over medium heat. No need to cook all the way. Transfer the patties to a plate and set aside.

How the dish comes together

Drizzle chicken stock or beef stock to deglaze the pan.

Add the cream and stir with the stock.

Julia Child once said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream”. If you ask the cook, “Use both and forget!”

Return patties to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt.

Sprinkle more parsley on top and serve warm over mashed potatoes.

“Savoureux!” and “délicieux!” Blow a sweet kiss to the chef as a token of appreciation.

This petite Coryenne Madame’s craving of creamy food has been well satisfied with this meal. In fact too satisfied that she wanted to have a piece of Kimchi in her mouth at the end. Isn’t she weird?

Bon Appetit!

• Yield: 4 people
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 lb lean ground beef, sirloin is preferable
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup loosely packed finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoon freshly cracked peppercorn
• 1-2 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• more salt for seasoning, optional
• more fresh parsley for garnish

Method

1. In a bowl combine beef, garlic, parsley, salt and form into thick (about 1″) patties.
2. Sprinkle peppers on both surface of patties and press gently to adhere. Let the patties sit for 15 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter on a skillet over medium heat. Sear patties until golden brown both sides. Add more butter if needed. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
4. Pour chicken(or beef) stock to the skillet and degalze the skillet. Add the cream and combine. Add the beef patties back into the skillet and simmer for few more minutes over low heat until the patties are evenly cooked and the sauce is reduced a little, about 3-5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt if needed.
5. Sprinkle more parsley and serve warm over mashed potatoes.