Review: Country-Fried Steak with Gravy 3/02

[AmyBeth73]

DH was begging me to make this dish ever since the magazine arrived over the weekend. Even though I agreed with many fellow BBers that the cover art was gross and the very inclusion of country-friend steak suspect, I broke down today. Luckily, there was leftover pasta for me! Anyway...

The dish was very easy to make. So no complaints there.

I used instant mashed potatoes because my store was out of the frozen kind the recipe called for (I didn't even know there was such a thing!)

DH loves ordering country-fried steak in a restaurant, especially when we're visiting the south. His verdict: OK, but not a keeper.

He said that although the use of sirloin made the meat tastier, he missed the actually "fried" batter a restaurant would use. Yes, I reminded him this was Cooking Light, but then that was his point: There are some things not worth trying to make light. I guess, since I'll never eat it, he's probably right this time!

:)

[ebobbitt]

I really hate this isn't a "keeper". I was hoping to make it for BF but now I don't think I'll bother. Southern Living had a recipe so I guess I'll just do the full-fat version and make myself something else that night. Thanks for the review.

[jjsooner73]

I'll agree, and I've said this before: There's just some things that are not meant to be fat free, and chicken fried steak is one of them!!

There's just no way to compete with hand breading the steak in flour/seasonings, egg, flour again, then egg and frying it up!

[browneye]

Originally posted by jjsooner73
I'll agree, and I've said this before: There's just some things that are not meant to be fat free, and chicken fried steak is one of them!!

There's just no way to compete with hand breading the steak in flour/seasonings, egg, flour again, then egg and frying it up!

I agree! My DH gets to eat plenty of Chicken fried steak when he goes fishing or bird hunting with the guys- they eat in those types of places!!! This is one of those do-not-attempt-this-at-CL recipes!

Thanks for the review, if DH asks for it, I'll know what to tell him:D

[Dewey]

We made this tonight also (also at DH's request) It was OK, DH liked it quite a bit, but I think he was biased because he actually did the cooking (he's just starting to take an interest in cooking, so he cooks while I supervise). I think he was just really proud of his accomplishment! :) It was extremely easy (which is why DH could manage it), but I think if DH was used to having country fried steak at restaurants, he wouldn't have like this as much. However, since he rarely ever even gets red meat, and since it was his own work, he gave it a big thumbs up.

I should also probably mention that my DH isn't very picky when it comes to eating...

Laurie

[Norma]

I also made this for DH. He liked it but mentioned that it didn't have that thick white gravy and it also had mushrooms which he didn't expect. But he liked it. I liked it too and I don't eat chicken fried steak in restaurants. I will make it again because he likes that kind of stuff and I don't cook like that very often. I'm certainly not the one to compare the original thing to this. I'm just saying we liked it for what it is, and I will repeat it. It is quick and tasty.

[sneezles]

The fact that it was named Country Fried Steak and not
Chicken Fried Steak made me suspect from the start!
I agree, there are somethings not meant to be fooled with...

[Holly in KC]

Amybeth73

Thanks for the review of the country fried steak. I don't have my issue yet, but this one sounded really good to me. As you said, some things just aren't meant to be light!

And -- too bad your grocery your grocery store didn't have the frozen mashed potatoes -- you really MUST try these! They are wonderful. No comparison to the boxed stuff at all. It's so easy to pop 'em into the microswave, then add a little flavored cream cheese, or light sour cream, or roasted garlic or ... you get the idea ... at the end. (I use Ore-Ida brand)

[Peggy]

OK... I guess I am the one with the differing opinion. Let me preface this review by saying that I have never had Country-Fried or Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy in my life. (Do they even have this in California??:o ). Anyway, that said, I made the recipe for dinner tonight. DH had seen the cover of CL this month and commented that that looked good to him. What the heck... Overall, I thought it was very good. The breading actually stayed on while it was cooking and I loved the mushroom gravy. I did have to use alittle extra oil, so it wasn't as "light" as it was supposed to be. I'm not sure if I will make it again because I usually don't make that type of thing, however, it was easy and DH loved it!

Perhaps it wasn't "authentic", but it was a good, filling and easy weeknight dinner. I served it with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.

Peggy

[linsleyd]

Except for the cut of meat I used (which was tough) I thought this meal was pretty good. I never had chicken fried steak so I have nothing to compare too.
All in all in our house, this recipe will be a keeper.

[lhall]

We liked this too. DH gave it a 6/7 I did make a few minor modifications.

I used ground sirloin because of the comments about the meat being tough and I wanted to make sure the girl could eat it. I should have used some egg or flour in the ground beef to keep the patties together. I also used 1% milk and one whole egg instead of the egg whites. Finally I didn't have onion powder so I used a little onion salt. I actually had to add salt to this. I love mushrooms so the gravy was good.

I don't really consider the frozen potatoes part of the recipe. I make roasted garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with pasta sprinkle.

This was easy and fast.

Leigh

[Gail]

Originally posted by Peggy
OK... I guess I am the one with the differing opinion. Let me preface this review by saying that I have never had Country-Fried or Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy in my life. (Do they even have this in California??:o

Yes, Peggy. But our version uses avocados and goat cheese. :p

Actually, I'm with you. Never saw the stuff until I made it myself, back in the '80's, after we were married. I got curious about some of those American classics I'd never seen or tasted-- hush puppies and Key Lime Pie, for example-- and since certain things just aren't served here, it was a whole new adventure for me.

[Peggy]

Originally posted by Gail


Yes, Peggy. But our version uses avocados and goat cheese. :p



LOL!!! Gail - You are so funny! You never fail to make me laugh!!:D :D :D :D :D

Peggy

[Laura B]

OK. I made this tonight and thought it was just OK. DH and I were debating whether or not to rate it a 4 or a 5 out of 10. 5 is our minimum score to become a repeater. When he cleared the table and put all of the dirty dishes from the cooking process into the dishwasher, though, he rated it a 4. :) It was pretty easy, pretty tasty, but quite messy (at least tonight in my kitchen it was messy) and not good enough to take the time to do again. I did, however, give those frozen mashed potatoes a try. Holly, you are right! They don't compare to the boxed flake stuff. They were really good! I still prefer my homemade ones anyday, but I don't make those often. These were so easy and yummy, they will bring mashed potatoes back into weeknight rotation. :)

[kimmer99]

I made this last night. Now I've never had chicken fried steak, so to me, it was tasty, quick and it satisfied a rare craving for red meat. My husband, who eats chicken fried steak at restaurants whenever the opportunity arises said, "It's okay," which means I'll eat it if you make it for me but don't think you're fooling me. BTW - I used boneless sirloin pounded thin, so the meat was very tender.

[Angela]

This month's cover has my DBF written all over it!! He is a true meat and potatoes man. So I knew I'd be making this one and it's on the menu for this week. I even bought the frozen mashed potatoes! (I'm a from scratch kinda person) I'm going to do a chicken breast for me since I don't eat beef, so I'll be anxious to see how it turns out.

[Searcher]

We made this last night because we both like country/chicken fried steak and wanted to see what this was like. My two grandsons were visiting too, 3 and almost 5, and they loved it, minus the mushrooms. We thought it wasn't bad and I did add about 3 teaspoons of olive oil to help it get crispy and added 3 tablespoons of 1% milk.
Years ago I tried a recipe of David Rosengarten's from the Food Network's Taste and, except for the fact that we couldn't get nice cubed steaks, we thought his recipe was really good. My local butchers sells sirloin cubed steaks so we bought those. Next time I'd use David Rosengarten's recipe for Texas Hot Salt for the spice mixture and I think this will make it much tastier. Here's his recipe for any who thought they might like this but thought it needed an extra kick.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK
Recipe courtesy of David Rosengarten

Four 8-ounce slices round steak, cut 1/2-inch thick
Texas Hot Salt, to taste, recipe follows
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk, plus 2 tablespoons
4 to 6 dashes hot pepper sauce
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons lard or oil
1 onion, minced
Worcestershire Sauce to taste
Salt
Cayenne pepper to taste

Season the meat on both sides with Texas Hot Salt (recipe follows) and pound to a thickness of 1/4-inch. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk and the hot pepper sauce. Dredge the steaks in 1 cup of the flour, dip in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and dredge in the flour again. Heat the lard or oil in a cast iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Add the steaks in batches and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the steaks to a platter lined with paper towels and keep them warm.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes, or until golden. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring, until lightly colored. Heat and add the remaining milk, and the Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and cayenne to taste and simmer, stirring, until thickened. Strain into a sauceboat and serve with the steak. Suggested drink: Iced tea

HOT SALT

2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.



Yield: 4 servings

[Tiger]

I made this tonight and thought it was OK. I couldn't find the right meat so I used something else. It needed more oil because my breading didn't fry and stay on right. But than I guess it wouldn't have been as light.
The mushroom gravy was great.

[Angela]

I made this the other night. It was alright. I made mine with chicken and I did like the the gravy. I used steak for my BF's portion and the breading didn't not stay on for me either. BF said it was ok, but he's used to the really greasy, high fat version. I probably won't be making this again.