Instructions

• Preheat the oven to the warming setting or 175°F. Place an oven-safe dish or baking sheet on a rack and line it with a layer or two of paper towels to absorb grease; keep this in the oven to stay warm.
• Pat the cube steaks dry: place each steak on a double layer of paper towels and press with another double layer to remove as much surface moisture as possible. Re-pat just before breading if they’ve sat a while.
• Lightly sprinkle the steaks with kosher salt and set them aside while you prepare the breading station.
• Set up three shallow dishes for breading: - Dish 1: ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain dredge). - Dish 2: 2 large eggs (beaten) mixed with ½ cup whole milk. - Dish 3: ½ cup all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp corn meal + 1 tsp garlic powder + 1 tsp onion powder + 1 tsp paprika + 1 Tbsp dried parsley + ½ tsp chili powder + ½ tsp ground black pepper + 1 tsp kosher salt. Mix dish 3 thoroughly.
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add vegetable oil to about 1/4 inch depth in the pan. Heat until the oil shimmers and a small sprinkle of water produces small pops (it should sizzle actively but not smoke).
• Bread the steaks one at a time, working only as many as you can cook immediately: a. Give a final pat to a steak to remove any remaining moisture. b. Dredge in Dish 1 (plain flour), shaking off excess. c. Dip into Dish 2 (egg + milk), letting excess drip off. d. Transfer to Dish 3, pressing the seasoned flour onto the steak so it adheres. Place the breaded steak on a clean plate while you bread the next one.
• Fry steaks in the hot oil, 1–2 at a time (about two steaks fit comfortably in a 9" pan). Gently place each steak in the oil; it should sizzle actively. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan; adding too many at once will drop the oil temperature.
• As steaks finish, transfer them to the paper-towel-lined oven-safe dish and keep them in the warmed oven to stay hot while you make the gravy.
• When all steaks are cooked, make the gravy in the same skillet: carefully pour off excess grease, leaving the browned bits and about a few tablespoons of drippings in the pan.
• Over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour to the remaining drippings. Cook 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour turns tan and is lightly toasted.
• Add 3 cups whole milk all at once. Stir or whisk constantly, scraping the browned bits from the pan. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium-low.
• Continue stirring until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove steaks from the oven. Serve the chicken fried steaks over mashed potatoes (optional) and spoon the gravy over the steaks.