Recipes

Chicken-Fried Steak with Cauliflower Gravy

By: Hannah Lee Leidy
Chicken Fried Steak 1

Food Culture of the South

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yields

Serves 4

    For the creamy cauliflower gravy:
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion (1 medium)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 cups fresh cauliflower florets (1 large head)
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • For the chicken-fried steak:
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup tapioca starch
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • plus more for serving
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup avocado oil
  • 4 (6-ounce) beef cube steaks
  • Dried thyme
  • for serving
steps
  1. Make the gravy: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt ghee. Add onion, salt, and thyme and cook until onion is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth. Stir in black pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
  2. Make the steaks: In a bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch, 2 teaspoons salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Using a fork, stir to combine and break up any clumps.
  3. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk eggs until well combined. Pat steaks dry then sprinkle on both sides with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
  4. In a large dutch oven, heat avocado oil over medium-high heat. Just before frying the individual steaks, dip them in the egg wash then dredge through flour mixture to evenly coat. Shake off excess.
  5. Working in batches, fry each steak in the oil until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Use a sturdy spatula to transfer fried steaks to a wire rack to cool.
  6. To serve, smother steaks with gravy and garnish with a sprinkle of thyme and a couple cracks of black pepper.
  • From Alex Snodgrass. Adapted from The Defined Dish: Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes, by Alex Snodgrass. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

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