When I was eighteen my best friend and I moved out together.
We got a cheap apartment in a sketchy area of a sketchy little sleepy town ten minutes north of our hometown.
We were the first of our friends to move out and have adult responsibilities, though with the perspective of age I look back at those years and shake my head at the idea that I was anything close to an actual adult at that point in my life.
That period of the post-high school version of playing house left me with some amazing memories, not the least of which involved our friends surfing our inflatable couch down the apartment stairs.
Our poor neighbors!
Anyway, one thing that our apartment was never, ever without was a package of chicken fried steak in the freezer.
No, not for me. I can appreciate the flavor but I'm not really a meat-and-potatoes type.
But my best friend was.
Oh my gosh was she.
Every time we went out to eat she would order chicken fried steak.
Breakfast?
Chicken fried steak.
Lunch?
Chicken fried steak.
Dinner?
Chicken fried steak.
Midnight snack?
Well, that's what the package in the freezer was for.
For the past eighteen years I have connected chicken fried steak with her in my mind. They are completely entangled and I can't see it on a menu without thinking of her.
Yet I've never, ever made it myself.
Well, my husband just started another crazy diet. This one involves copious amounts of green juice in quantities I can't quite fathom. He asked me to make chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes for his last meal before starting his latest dietary adventure.
At first I kind of balked, to be honest.
Not because I mind cooking but because I had so much schoolwork to get done.
You might have noticed I've managed to go another month without posting anything.
Well, school's back in session so I have had zero time for this stuff.
My mother called the other day to let me know that she keeps checking to see if I've posted anything- :-) I promised I'll get something posted soon. Spring break is coming up, so...maybe I'll get a little done then?
Anyway, so I was just not feeling taking on chicken fried steak. I told him I'd buy something frozen but I wasn't going to tackle homemade.
It turns out my grocery store does not carry frozen chicken fried steak.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I found myself making chicken fried steak for the first time in my life the other day.
Now, I really hate to fry stuff.
I'm not great at cooking meat as a general rule.
And while my husband may be the gravy king I'm not very experienced.
This dish is not something I would normally pick to make.
But he asked. So I did.
THIS IS SO GOOD!
Granted, I only ate a few bites, because I'm me and I just don't do big hunks of meat.
That being said...I totally rocked this. Just so you know.
My daughter and husband were both gushing over this dish and telling me what a marvelous chef I am, which is definitely a compliment I'll take any day of the week!
The steak was so super easy to make, as was the gravy. I don't really follow a recipe for mashed potatoes but I followed my normal method, which is delicious.
This is one meat-and-potatoes type dish I endorse wholeheartedly!
4 (1/2 lb) beef cube steaks
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C buttermilk (can sub 1 1/2 C milk and 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice left to sit 5 min)
1 egg
1 Tbsp hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 C vegetable shortening for deep frying
1/4 C all-purpose flour
4 C milk
1 Tbsp dried parsley
Beef bouillon powder to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1. Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
2. Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
3. Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with parsley, beef bouillon powder, salt, and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.
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