So about that chicken fried steak, or CFS… Lunch turned into a gourmet affair yesterday, so my dinner plans went to the wayside. No worries, I just kept my little cube steaks refrigerated until I was ready to really pay full attention to them – tonight!
This is one of my family’s all-time favorite meals. Whenever we hit Black Bear Diner (our nearest one is so far now!), or really any diner type establishment, I don’t know what my sons and husband will order, but I know I’m ordering Chicken Fried Steak. There’s something about that pounded cube steak all fried up crisp like a piece of chicken that is irresistible to me, but it doesn’t end there. Oh no, it continues with that amazing white gravy pan sauce. Heaven! Well, almost. The dish just isn’t complete without resting on a big ‘ol pile of mashed potatoes. The ‘healthy’ side of me demands all that fried and buttery goodness be washed down with a side of vegetables. Any will do really, but some sort of greens always lets the brain know, there are definitely vegetables involved, and somehow, that makes CFS all the easier to indulge in.
I’m glad in hindsight that I didn’t have the gumption to make this dish last night. It really does deserve your full attention to the process of dredging and frying and keeping warm in the oven while you make the next batches. It takes time, people! You’ve got to pat those cube steaks really dry (after you’ve pounded the dickens out of them, hopefully without smashing your fingers or counter to bits in the process) and then let them rest again after they’ve spent time in the flour, egg, re-flour assembly line. All this because there’s nothing worse than doing all that hard work and having such feelings of drooling anticipation, and then being presented with a coating that flakes right off in sheets as your trying to enjoy cutting those first bites. Not good! You want a nice tender (due diligence with the pounding) cutlet that’s got a nice crispy crunch. These are the diner fantasies that great homemade meals are made of.