Chicken Fried Steak - courtesy Tyler Florence

Tonight I decided to be adventurous and try something new. Thank goodness for the Food Network website for whenever I'm stuck and unsure of what to try next.

Just recently, I bought some steaks in bulk and it just so happened that there were 9. Well with just me and my hubby to eat steak, I wasn't sure what to do with the "odd-ball" steak. Not only was it extra, but it was odd shaped, and way too big for one, but too small for two. At first I thought maybe I'd grill it up and use it for fajitas, but then something inside me said, "why not try something new?" And so I did =) Not only was this an easy recipe, but both my husband and I loved it. I will definitely be making this one again.

The only difference between the ingredients below, and the original Tyler Florence recipe is that I omitted the hot sauce. He actually puts some in his dredging liquid and his gravy.
If you're in the mood for some southern cooking, you've gotta try this chicken fried steak!

Chicken Fried Steak

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
  
• Vegetable oil
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup whole milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium flat dish add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper, to taste, and combine well. In another flat dish stir together the eggs, buttermilk and hot sauce, to taste, and season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Cut beef into 4 (1/2-inch) thick slices then pound out using the teeth side of a meat mallet. This tenderizes the meat. Dredge each piece of meat in the seasoned flour, then in the seasoned buttermilk and back into the flour, allowing excess to drip off. Set out on a rack fitted over a baking sheet and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 20 to 25 minutes before cooking.

Add about 2 inches vegetable oil to a large cast iron pan and heat over medium-high heat to 365 degrees F. (It takes a few minutes, but your patience will be rewarded. Waiting for it to reach 365 ensures you get that crispy southern crunch!) Once heated and working in batches, fry steaks 2 to 3 at a time until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove steaks and drain on a paper towels.

Carefully remove some the fat from the cast iron pan, reserving 1/4 cup. With the pan over medium heat, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk to make a roux, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the flour has been fully incorporated slowly add the buttermilk and milk and continue to whisk until the gravy is nice and thick. Season well with salt and plenty ground black pepper, then whisk in hot sauce, to taste. Place the steaks on a serving platter, top with gravy and serve