Today was a cooking day – not only did I make the Awesome-est Blueberry Muffins this morning, but I made the Chicken-Fried Steak for supper. Sweet as Pie gold star for me! The truth is that February is a short month and I needed to get some of my cooking done before the bar exam arrives in a couple of weeks. And since I lost a week of cooking while Phillip was gone, it was time to play catch up.
We had discussed the upcoming February recipes with Phillip’s grandparents over supper a few weeks ago (Chicken Tortilla Soup night) and they mentioned that they would love to be taste-testers for the Chicken-Fried Steak. So, we made sure to invite them over tonight to help us review this recipe.
I was a little worried going into this one after reading about Jennifer’s experience over on Redheads Plus One. To compensate for the deficiencies she found in the recipe, I made sure to add a little extra seasoning before breading the meat.
We love this seasoning and I love that it's an Alabama product. Great on any number of things, especially grilled pork chops! I used it tonight to season the steak and I think it added just the right punch of flavor.
The seasoned flour, pre-mix.
The basis of chicken-fried steak is cube steak. My mom makes cube steak all the time for a quick weeknight meal, only we have always called it minute steak. It’s good simply dredged in flour and lightly fried. Anyone who has had many a meal of minute steak knows that the quality of the meat can vary greatly. The steak comes tenderized, but this doesn’t always mean it’s tender. Sometimes it’s tender, sometimes it’s tough. Just luck of the draw (although Alton Brown would say otherwise – for all the other food nerds, check out his cube steak episode). Anyway, on to the chicken-fried variety.
Ready to start cooking - this is my favorite apron. My grandmother made it for me from fabric I picked out. It's like a smock, so you get better coverage. It has two pockets and an attached towel - so handy!
The steaks were double-dipped. First in an egg and milk mixture, then in the seasoned flour, and then repeated.
Chicken-fried steak - also a great reason to break out my cast iron skillet.
I also whipped up some mashed potatoes to go with this dish. I am a firm believer in homemade mashed potatoes.
The beginnings of the gravy.
I am no great gravy maker. It’s something I’ve been working on, but I haven’t developed a particular knack for it yet. Just have to keep practicing!
This one was pretty thick so I ended up adding quite a bit more milk to thin it.
Along with some steamed broccoli with a quick cheese sauce, our supper table.
Grandpa and Mary Jo, our official taste-testers, gave the meal two thumbs up (each).
Overall, we liked this one. It was quality home cooking and was extra satisfying on a cold night. I think we all cleaned our plates! I still think there is room for improvement on my frying skills, I wonder if some instant flour might make for a more even coating, and I think the seasoned flour still needs a little more flavor. But, this is an excellent starting place. Looking forward to the leftovers!
