Country Fried Steak with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
• cube steaks
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• paprika
• flour
• vegetable oil
• beef broth
• balsamic vinegar
• potatoes
• butter
• milk
• sour cream

At first glance, this may look like a daunting list of ingredients based on the number, but that just means it’ll be extra flavorful!

Season the steaks with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Then dredge* both sides in flour and place in a hot skillet filled with a layer of vegetable oil. (Although we’re frying the steak, they’re not getting deep-fried. Therefore, you don’t need that much oil.) Remove the steaks and next we’re going to make a simple gravy just like we’ve done a million times before. Depending on how much oil there is left in the skillet, you may or may not need to add some butter to it to make a roux with a couple of tablespoons of flour. After the flour has turned brown, add the beef broth and a couple of dashes of balsamic vinegar (my secret ingredient). Put the steak into the pan with the gravy and allow it to simmer for a few minutes.

For the potatoes, just boil them in a pan of water and then add some butter, salt, pepper, and milk to the pan. Next step: MASH! As a finishing touch, fold in a few dollops of sour cream for extra yumminess.

*Dredging: There are two methods (that I can think of) how you can accomplish this. One is putting some flour and the meat in a bag and shaking it like a Polaroid picture. The other is to put a layer of flour on a dish/plate and flipping the meat over to coat it in the flour. Both work fine, but I guess one is slightly more entertaining.