I was nervous about whether the boys would like this dinner, and as tonight’s version was experimental, I didn’t take a whole lot of photos. It turns out the boys loved it this way and so I’ll have to add more photos the next time I make it.
This main course was inspired by Berdean’s Cube Steak recipe. The key differences are that I didn’t bother with water and bullion but went right to by beef bone broth stash instead. Also, Springdell meats typically cook in half the time of supermarket meats due to their leanness, so simmering time was only 45 minutes compared to 2 hours.
While you’re simmering your steaks, cook up some mashed potatoes and/or toss an acorn squash in the oven. You’ll have a hearty meal at the end!
The gravy that accompanies this dish is to die for. The cube steak leaves just the right amount of browned bits in the pan to flavor it perfectly. I sautéed mushrooms and onions in a separate pan and added those into the gravy after setting aside some for the kids that claim they don’t like mushrooms or onions. The funny things is, when my oldest sone went back for a second helping of gravy, he ate the mushroom and onion version without noticing! A sprinkle of thyme would be lovely with this gravy as well but my supply is running short and I’m hoarding my thyme at the moment.
The steaks are fork to butterknife tender at the end, and though I won’t be winning any health awards, I have no regrets.
Lets see if I can make sense of what happened here tonight…
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups of beef broth (bone broth was great-you could also follow the original recipe and go the water and bullion route)
- 1/4 cup oil (enough to comfortably cover the bottom of your pan- don’t worry, you can drain some off after cooking)
- A handful of flour (for tossing your steaks and to thicken your gravy at the end)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional (but highly suggested)- mushrooms and an onion with a generous pat of butter
DIRECTIONS:
Toss thawed cube steaks in flour. Heat your skillet over medium heat and add oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Once heated, add steaks and sizzle on each side, no more than 2-3 minutes on each.
Remove steaks and carefully spoon off any excess oil (if you have any), being careful to leave any browned bits in the skillet.
Add broth (my broth was still frozen so I popped a 2 cup brick in the pan until melted) pop the steaks back in (they should be almost covered in your broth, but not quite) cover and simmer until tender (usually 2 hours but with Springdell steaks it takes only 45-60 minutes.*)
Remove steaks to a plate and add a tablespoon or so of flour to the broth in the pan and whisk over a low bubbly heat until thickened. Add in sautéed mushrooms and onions as desired. Add a splash of milk if you like things creamier. A sprinkle of thyme would be great too. Lots of wiggle room with the gravy…
Pour gravy over your steaks and serve immediately.
*While your steak is simmering, it’s a good time to prep up some mashed potatoes, pop an acorn squash in the oven, or sauté up your mushrooms and onion for the gravy.
I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!