An American Classic

Dinner for a working man.
James has been out putting up insulation and walls in the new little barn/ farm office (I call it the Man Palace) so I figured the least I could do was a hearty dinner to replace some of those calories spent. Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes covered in cream pan gravy.
It's the kind of dish I love to make but honestly I can't make it too often. Pity. It goes together quickly. Never fails to please. Is Affordable. And, let's face it -- is delicious. But Oh, the damage it can do to an innocent waistline.
Using sides of cube steak (cube steak is machine tenderized beef) about 1/4" thick I first dipped them in seasoned flour and then in beaten eggs (with a  little milk whisked in). After the eggs, the steaks took one more dip in the flour and went right onto a pan holding a shallow cover of hot oil. As one side turns golden brown I turned the steaks until the other side browned deliciously and set the steaks aside while I made the gravy.
I wish I could tell you how much of what I used. Some how a dinner like this just cries out to be brought together by feel not measurements. I poured out most of the remaining fat from the skillet and sprinkled in a dash of flour and let it cook for a couple minutes. Then I poured in enough milk to get a creamy consistency, seasoned the gravy with salt and pepper and served it up piping hot.
Crispy. Crunchy. Salty. Creamy. Classic.

Not At All Like Ikea

"This is the perfect dinner for a day like today," James declared between bites. "I wanted something hearty but uncomplicated," he explained. Comfort food -- my James was looking for comfort food.

I'm not sure what could be more comforting than meatballs with gravy and mashed potatoes. I seasoned up some meat with a pinch of cardamom, mace, all spice, minced onion and parsley and mixed in bread crumbs, 1 egg, and a dollop of sour cream (no milk in the house). I fried the meatballs in butter until almost cooked through and then removed them to a separate dish. I added flour into the frying pan along with some chopped onions and cooked down the roux until the floury taste would be gone. Then I added in stock and made a thick gravy that I extended with another dollop of sour cream. The meatballs warmed back up in the gravy while I finished the mashed potatoes. Perfect.