Meat and Potato Patties
During World War II, when meat was rationed and had to be purchased with tokens, this recipe went a long way in feeding a family. To this day, I still reach for it whenever I want something different from regular hamburgers. By the way, children really like these (just as I did when I was a child!).— Gladys Klein, Burlington Wisconsin
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 3/4 cup finely shredded potatoes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
Reviews
My Mom (and now me, like her) used saltines sometimes, too, but she usually used boiled, peeled, chopped potatoes because we had a whole garden full of them in the fall and by spring they needed to be finished off so we could clean and start reusing the root cellar. I loved this stuff as a kid (we called it meatloaf burgers) and usually had fresh sweet corn with it or freshly picked green beans. I hated the sweaty work of being in the garden but the rewards were well worth it! I still do this same way of living today. I garden a lot, but this year it's a bit different because we have been inundated with rain. It seems as though the sun is on vacation!
I used V8 tomato juice, and it was so tasty!! Some readers used bread crumbs. Try it the way it is written - you’ll love it!
like another reader commented, my mom (and now me) always used saltine cracker crumbs in place of the potatoes - a LOT of them. It truly does stretch the hamburger a long ways. We always called them "Hamburger Steaks." We still make them - and love them!
This was a great recipe and all my family loved it. I served it with green beans.
My mom made these when meat was scarce in our house in the 50's. She called them Polish Hamburgers (we are Polish). She didn't use potatoes but cracker crumbs, garlic, seasoning and made them into patties. I still get hungry for them every now and then. In fact, I had them for dinner 2 nites ago. Still tasty and still filling. You only have to use 1/2 the meat you normally do. Yummo !!!
My mom back in the 40s with 6 kids made this with cracker crumbs instead of potatoes, and called it poor folks burgers. We loved them. I think back then we used lard.
These were VERY simple to make yet flavorful. The only thing I would modify would be the sauce. I would add a few spices to the tomato juice for extra flavor- maybe some rosemary or oregano. Otherwise, very hearty and filling!
I did not have green pepper, so I used chopped celery and omitted canola oil. This recipe was very tasty! I'm glad that I tried it! delowenstein, TOH Volunteer Field Editor