by Susan Kliebenstein

Created on: July 28, 2008

Country fried steak is a Southern favorite prepared with gravy and traditionally served with mashed potatoes. Here's a recipe for the steak and gravy.

You will need:
Large, heavy skillet
Tenderized cube steak, round steak, or sirloin
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 cup of cooking oil
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 c. flour
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 cup water

Tenderize the steak by pounding with a tenderizing mallet until very thin. Dip steaks in milk, and then roll in mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet, and cook steaks (one or two at a time) until golden brown on each side. This will take about two minutes per side. When browned, remove them from skillet and drain on paper towel. Continue process until all of your steaks have been cooked.

Return all steaks to the pan and slice onion on top. Add water and cover for about 5 minutes. Take 1/2 cup of the flour mixture previously used to roll the steaks, and the milk which was used to dip them. Stir together and then add to the skillet, stirring briskly to keep from lumping. This will thicken to gravy in just a few minutes. Add more milk or water as needed to cover steaks or thin the gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve steaks drenched with onions; and mashed potatoes covered with gravy for a hot meal and a happy family! Now lets look at some variations on this favorite country recipe.

VARIATIONS: Chicken fried steak
One variation on the recipe is often called chicken fried steak. In this case 2 beaten eggs are used to roll the steak before drenching in flour. The steaks are fried and drained but not returned to the pan. Gravy is made separately using the drippings from the pan, diced onion, water, milk and flour. Don't forget to mix the flour in a small amount of cold milk before adding to thicken the gravy. Spoon the gravy over steaks and potato just before serving.

VARIATIONS: Mushroom gravy
Another variation calls for steaks fried as before, but then returned to the pan with one cup of milk and one can of cream of mushroom soup. No onion is used and thickening is generally not needed. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes before serving with potatoes or rice.

VARIATIONS: Mock Country fried steak
To make country fried steak using hamburger rather than round or sirloin you'll want to keep this variation in mind:

- Mix together
..1 lb. lean ground beef
..1/4 c. milk
..1 c. coarsely crushed saltines
..2 tbsp. finely chopped onions
..1 tsp. chili powder
..1/4 tsp. salt
..1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

- Heat large skillet with 1/4 inch of cooking oil.
- Divide meat mixture into 6 patties.
- Cook about 8 minutes on each side until browned.
- Make country gravy as above with drippings, onion, milk and flour.
- Serve mock steaks with mash potatoes and gravy.

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