Ingredients
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4 tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as “cube steak”) OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you’ve tenderized yourself (see above)
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1 egg
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½ cup milk
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1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour for dredging
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cooking oil or melted Crisco
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Beat together the egg and milk and pour into a pie pan or other flat pan; set aside.
- Mix together the salt, black pepper and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.
- Put the flour in a pie pan or other flat pan.
- Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You’re going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.)
- Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
- Oil should be a little less than a half-inch deep in the pan.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. (Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it’s ready.)
- With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. (Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results.)
- Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through.
- Remove cover from pan during last few minutes of cooking.
- Drain cutlets on paper towels.
Notes
Cream Gravy
After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off the pan drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons. Keep as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Return the reserved oil to the skillet, and heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe) in the hot oil. Stir well with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour and form a roux.
Gradually stir 1-1/2 cups milk into the roux, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, mashing out any lumps, and bring to a boil. Continue stirring a few minutes as gravy thickens and reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Note to Cream Gravy novices: Gravy-making is an inexact science. Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it’s too thick, add more milk, a little at a time, until you’re satisfied with it.