Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

I was craving comfort food, and for some reason, it occurred to me to make Chicken Fried Steak. I've never made it before. But, I've made fried chicken, so I figured it couldn't be too terribly hard. Haha.

It wasn't really very difficult, but I will make some improvements next time around. This time I used a sirloin, pounded thin. Next time I think I'll use cube steak. I also think I might have overcooked the meat just slightly. It happens occasionally. Haha. But overall, this was really good, and I will make it again sometime.

I also made the gravy from scratch, and will give you the recipe. But don't feel like you have to make it from scratch...using one of those mixes will work fine too. There are some that are pretty tasty, so don't worry about that part. :)

Ingredients:
-Steak, either sirloin or cube, enough to feed everyone
-1/2 cup flour, for dredging
-egg wash, for dredging (1 or 2 eggs, whisked together with a splash of water or milk)
-any seasonings you'd care to add to the flour for flavor in the "breading" (at least salt and pepper)
-veggie oil, for frying (I think I used about 1/4 cup; enough to cover the bottom of your skillet)

For gravy:
-reserved drippings from frying pan
-3 tablespoons flour
-1 cup milk
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In two shallow dishes, spread out your flour and egg wash. Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium/medium high heat. Let the oil completely heat up before trying to fry the steak.

Pound out the steak to a thin sheet (approximately 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick). Cut into individual serving sizes before dredging. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Lay the steak into the flour and coat evenly on both sides. Move the steak from the flour to the egg wash, coating evenly on both sides. Return the steak to the flour once again and coat evenly. If your oil is already hot, go ahead and place the steak in the hot oil. If it's not hot yet set it aside on a plate until the oil is hot.

Let the steak get brown on one side, then flip it over to brown the other side. The thin-ness of the steak will make sure it cooks all the way through by the time both sides are browned. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Repeat this process for all the steak.

You should have some oil left in the skillet, with some brown bits from the steak frying process.

Perfect. Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook the rue for a few minutes, then add in the milk, a little at a time, and whisk to incorporate.

Add the salt and pepper for seasoning. Cook the gravy for another several minutes, stirring frequently, letting it thicken up and get yummy.

If the gravy gets too thick, just add a little more milk, a tablespoon or so at a time, to thin it out until it's the desired consistency. It's amazing over the steak, and over mashed potatoes, which I made to accompany this meal. Yum.

Plate the steak and anything else you're serving with it (I did mashed potatoes and green bean casserole). Spoon the yummy gravy over the steak and enjoy!