Chicken Fried Steak with Pan Gravy 

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH PAN GRAVY
4 cube steaks
Salt and pepper
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
3-4 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
On a sheet pan, lay out the cube steaks and use a meat mallet to hammer the steaks about ¼ - ½ inch thing. Salt/pepper steaks on both sides. Set aside. Next, set up your stations for dredging and frying. In one shallow dish, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, chili powder, baking powder, and garlic powder. In another shallow dish, combine the eggs and milk. Add the vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet and preheat over medium low heat. Preheat oven to 375F.
Now working one steak at a time, dredge meat in flour, then egg wash, then back to the flour. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with a wire rack. Continue with all pieces of meat. Carefully add the butter to the preheated oil, and stir around to combine. Fry steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer back to a sheet pan with a wire rack. When all of the steaks have been fried, transfer sheet pan to the oven for 5-6 minutes while you stir the gravy.
Carefully discard all of the oil in the pan, reserving just enough to cover the bottom. Stir in ¼ cup flour, and use a whisk or a fork to create a clumpy paste out of the reserved grease, flour, and the crumbly bits in the bottom of the pan. Over medium low heat, stir in 3-4 cups milk and whisk to combine. Bring the gravy just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Gravy will thicken as it simmers.
To serve, plate a chicken fried steak on a plate with mashed potatoes on the side. Spoon gravy over the steak and potatoes and season with black pepper. I like to serve these steaks under a pile of cooked collard greens right on top!