Chicken Fried Steak

This recipe was really fun to make.  This was my first chicken fried steak.  I bought  The Pioneer Womens  cookbook.  Which I love, looking at her pictures makes me want to move to the middle of nowhere and live on a ranch ( ok maybe not).  But her step by step pictures and instructions make me thing I can cook anything.  So a few weeks ago we tried this and it was fun.  The only thing that I didn't like was the cubed steaks I bought were huge, and I didn't think anything of it.  But when eating this I decided that I liked the edges of the steak with all of its crusty goodness, so next time I will buy smaller or cut them into smaller steaks.  Have fun with this one!!  Oh yes the gravy is a must for the steak and also for smashed potatoes if you choose to make them!!

Chicken-Fried Steak

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, pages 142-145

3 pounds cube steak

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for the gravy

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus about 1/3 cup for the gravy

2 teaspoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you can handle it)

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

seasoning salt 

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil for frying

The prep-

Mix the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper together in a shallow plate. Mix the eggs with 1 cup of the milk in another shallow dish. Have a third empty dish close by. Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour mixture. Now, dip the flour covered meat back into the egg mixture and then one more time into the flour mixture. Place the double dipped meat onto the empty plate.

The Cooking-

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. (A few sprinkles of flour will sizzle in the oil when it is hot enough) Fry the meat, several pieces at a time. Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Flip the meat and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes on the other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm until all the meat has been cooked.

The Gravy-

 After frying all the meat, pour off all the grease into a heat-proof bowl. Do not clean the pan! Return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the grease back to the pan. Allow the grease to heat up. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with grease, creating a paste. When the flour becomes golden brown, while whisking constantly, pour in two cups of milk. Whisk to combine, then let the gravy come to a slow boil. Season with  seasoning salt. Add more milk if the gravy becomes too thick, whisking it into the flour/gravy. The whole process should be between 5 to 10 minutes.
*  make sure to taste and then season accordingly, because under seasoned gravy is the worst!

Place the warm meat on a plate with a heaping pile of smashed potatoes. Drizzle with a little (or a lot!) of  the gravy. Ree ( the pioneer women) says "Serve this to a hungry cowboy and you'll earn a friend for life".