The Pioneer Woman Cooks (46 page)

13. Remove to a paper towel–lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.

Now it’s time to make the gravy! If you’ve been intimidated by gravy your whole life, your life is about to change. Please, my friends, do not be afraid of the gravy.

14. After frying all the meat, pour off the grease into a heat-proof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add ¼ cup grease back to the pan. Allow the grease to heat up.

15. Sprinkle
¹
/
₃
cup flour evenly over the grease.

16. Using a whisk, mix the flour with grease, creating a golden brown paste. This is known as a “roux,” and you want the roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour. Whisk again and check the consistency.

17. After a couple of minutes, the paste will start to turn golden brown. That’s when it’s ready.

18. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk.

19. Whisk to combine, then let the gravy come to a slow boil. The gravy will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick at first, add splashes of milk as needed, whisking to combine. As you cook and thicken the gravy, be prepared to splash in more milk if it becomes overly thick. The total cooking process should take 5 to 10 minutes. Generously season with salt and pepper, tasting to ensure that it’s seasoned adequately. Underseasoned gravy is one of life’s great sacrileges.

20. Place the warm meat on a plate with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes (Supper). Cowboys love the word heaping.

21. Drizzle with a little gravy…

22. Or a lot—whatever suits your fancy. Serve this to a hungry cowboy and you’ll earn a friend for life.

Variation

FRIED CUBE STEAK

Sometimes, for simplicity’s sake, I like to dredge pieces of cube steak in seasoned flour and fry it up. The result is a thinner “crust” that’s better for lighter appetites. This method of fried round steak is also perfect for steak sandwiches—place a piece of it between two slices of white bread and you’ve got the perfect comfort food.

1. Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper.

2. Dredge it in seasoned flour…

3. And fry in canola oil over medium-high heat. Cook until the edges start to turn brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Then flip to the other side and continue cooking until brown, about 2 minutes.