Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: less than 30 minutes
Difficulty: Very easy

Chicken-fried steak - Sound confusing? It's really just what it sounds like: steak prepared like fried chicken. It is first seasoned and tenderized, breaded by dipping into flour, egg and sometimes bread crumbs, and then fried in a cast-iron skillet. It's served with "cream gravy" made from the pan drippings, browned flour and milk. And incidentally, for a Texan to say that something is "fine as cream gravy" is high praise indeed!

1. Trim steak and cut into 6-8 pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge all steak pieces in flour mixture until lightly coated.
2. Combine eggs and milk. Dip steak into egg mixture and dredge again in flour, getting plenty of flour mashed into steak.
3. Heat 1 cm (1/2") of oil in a heavy skillet and fry steak pieces until golden brown.

Cream gravy

1. Remove steaks and place in warm oven.
2. Leave remaining steak drippings or bacon drippings in skillet. Add flour. Cook and stir until flour just begins to brown.
3. Add milk and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and serve in a bowl as an accompaniment to the steak. Can also be served on mashed potatoes.