Chicken Fried Steak

Method

1. 1

   Salt and pepper the steaks with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir the 1 cup of flour with the paprika and the rest of the salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with the 2 tablespoons of milk.

2. 2

   Dredge each steak in flour, then egg, then flour again. Press the coating on. Heat the tallow to about 350°F.

3. 3

   Fry the steaks, two at a time, about 3 minutes a side, until the crust is deep gold and the center is cooked through. Thin cube steak is done when the crust is right. Drain them on a rack. Pour off the fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the skillet, with the browned bits.

4. 4

   Stir the 3 tablespoons of flour into the fat and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the 2 cups of milk. Simmer, whisking, until the gravy thickens, about 4 minutes. It should coat a spoon. Add pepper until it tastes like pepper gravy, and salt if it needs it. Spoon it over the steaks.

From the kitchen

• If the gravy lumps, whisk harder over low heat, or pour it through a sieve. A lump is flour that never met the fat.
• Cube steak is already tenderized. Do not pound it into shreds.