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Chicken-Fried Steak with Country Gravy

Source of Recipe

From "In the Kitchen with David" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"I used to beg Mom to make this Southern classic whenever she had enough time on the weekends. Cube steak is tenderized, then dredged in flour, dipped in eggs, and fried. Seasonings are then added to the pan drippings to make a thicker-than-cream gravy. I can't imagine serving chicken-fried steak with anything but mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits to wipe my plate clean."

List of Ingredients

Steak:
• ½ pound cube steak
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup canola oil

Country Gravy:
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1½ cups milk, plus more if necessary


Recipe

To make the steaks, cut the steak in half and place each half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound the steaks with a meat mallet to ¼-inch thickness and season with the salt.

Combine the flour and bread crumbs on a plate. On another plate, beat the egg with 2 teaspoons water. Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture, coat them with the egg mixture, then dredge them one more time in the flour mixture. Don't be gentle when pressing the flour mixture into the steaks. It has to adhere and form a crust during cooking.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the steaks and fry them until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet.

To make the gravy, melt the butter with the reserved oil in the skillet. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the skillet. Using a whisk, cook the roux until it is a deep golden brown. Whisk in the salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the gravy has thickened. (Add a bit more milk if the gravy seems too thick.) Pour the gravy over the steaks before serving.

Makes 2 to 3 servings