Chicken Fried Steak

Tots are an acceptable substitute for mashed potatoes. Just crispier.

A country staple, chicken fried steak was a spinoff of either a German/Austrian dish or something from South America. I only remember it from my mom’s kitchen, and it was usually accompanied by mashed potatoes so you could pour gravy over the entire thing. Plus, I love freshly ground black pepper, and I can put that all over everything too.

SOFTWARE

·         Vegetable oil for frying

·         4 beef cube steaks (about 1/2 pound each)

·         2 c. flour

·         2 t. baking powder

·         1 t. baking soda

·         1 t. freshly ground black pepper

·         1 t. kosher salt

·         1 1/2 c. buttermilk

·         1 T. hot sauce

·         1 egg

·         Pepper gravy (find recipe here – just don’t use the sausage!)

METHOD

1.       In a cast iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil to 325 degrees.

2.       Pound out the steak to a thickness of 1/4 inch. If you can, use the tenderizer side to help soften the fibers in the meat.

3.       Place the flour in a shallow pan or dish.

4.       In a bowl, mix together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, salt, buttermilk, hot sauce, and egg.

5.       Place a wire rack over parchment paper or paper towels.

6.       For each steak, dredge in the flour, shaking to remove excess. Dip in the liquid. Let excess drain away. Press into the flour on both sides once again. Place on wire rack to rest.

7.       Repeat step 6 until all steaks are coated. Rest for about 5 minutes.

8.       Working in batches or individually, fry each steak for 4 minutes on one side, flip, then fry for another 4 minutes. Make sure your oil doesn’t get too hot or cold during the cooking process.

9.       Place the fried steak on a platter lined with a paper towel. Cover the cooked steaks with foil to keep warm. Repeat until all steaks are cooked.

10.   Remove the oil from the skillet, leaving behind all the solids. Use this skillet to make the gravy, scraping the pan to release the solids into the gravy.

11.   When serving, place a steak on a plate (with potatoes on the side if you like) and pour gravy over entire plate. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

12.   Enjoy.

VARIANTS

If you can’t find cube steaks, you can substitute with round steaks. Just make sure to tenderize them well before coating. Mashed potatoes are only a suggested service side dish. You could serve this at breakfast with a couple of eggs on the side!