Chicken Fried Steak Gravy

Chicken fried steak is a beaten out piece of braising steak, dredged and deep fried like fried chicken, and the gravy is made in the same pan seconds after it leaves. Every scrap of the seasoned coating that fell off in the oil goes into it, which is why this gravy tastes of far more than milk and flour. It wants to be thick enough to sit on the meat rather than run off it.

Ingredients

Makes about 600ml, enough for four steaks

• 4 tbsp hot frying oil from the steak pan with the crispy bits left in the base
• 35g (1¼oz) seasoned dredge flour the leftover flour you coated the steaks in, or plain flour with salt, pepper and a pinch of paprika
• 600ml (1 pint) whole milk warmed
• 3 tbsp double cream optional, for a richer gravy
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
• salt to taste

Kit

• Deep heavy frying pan
• Slotted spoon
• Balloon whisk
• Heatproof jug

Method

1. Lift the fried steaks onto a wire rack over a baking tray and slide them into a low oven at 100C (fan 80C, gas ¼) to stay hot and crisp while you work. Do not stack them or cover them with foil, or the coating will go soft.

2. Carefully pour off the frying oil into a heatproof jug, leaving behind about four tablespoons and, more importantly, every one of the browned crunchy scraps stuck to the base of the pan.

3. Set the pan back on a medium heat. Scatter in the leftover dredge flour and whisk it into the fat. It will look like wet gravel at first because of the crispy bits, which is exactly what you want.

4. Cook the flour for two to three minutes, whisking, until it turns the colour of milky tea and stops smelling raw. Scrape the base constantly, because this pan is hotter than a saucepan and the flour will catch if you leave it.

5. Pour in a third of the warm milk and whisk hard against the base to lift the fond. It will thicken to a paste immediately. Work it smooth, then add the rest of the milk in two goes.

6. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for five minutes, whisking now and then, until it is thick enough that a spoon dragged across the base leaves a track for a second or two. Stir in the cream if using.

7. Season hard with black pepper and the cayenne, then taste for salt, remembering the dredge was already seasoned. Spoon it straight over the steaks and serve immediately, before the coating softens.

Tips worth knowing

• The crispy scraps in the pan are the flavour. Pour the oil off through your fingers or tip it slowly so the solids stay put, and never strain the pan out.
• This gravy should be thicker than sausage gravy. If it will not hold on the meat, simmer it two minutes longer rather than adding more flour at the end.
• Braising steak beaten to about 5mm with a rolling pin, dredged in seasoned flour, dipped in buttermilk and dredged again is the right cut and coating. Sirloin is a waste of money here.
• Serve the gravy on the meat only at the table. If it sits on the coating in the kitchen for five minutes you lose the crunch that the whole dish is built on.

Keeping and reheating

Best eaten immediately. It will keep two days in the fridge and reheats with a splash of milk, but the crispy fragments soften completely and you lose the texture that makes it worth doing.

Questions people ask