Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy
2-4 ribeye steaks, cut about 1/3-inch thick
grapeseed oil, or similar for sautéing
1 cup cornstarch for dredging
2 eggs, whisked
1 cups whole milk
1 cup AP flour
1 cup saltine crackers, crushed in a food processor
cayenne, to taste (depending on how much heat you want)
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Place the steaks between two plastic zip top bags or wax paper. Gently pound with a meat mallet. Place the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a second shallow dish and finally place the flour and crackers in a third shallow dish. Season the meat with salt and pepper and dredge in the cornstarch to coat. Shake off any excess, dip into the egg mixture, allowing any excess to drip off then transfer to the flour/cracker mixture. Press freshly to coat the steak with the breading. Set aside and continue the process to bread the remaining steaks.
Heat enough oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan to coat the bottom in about ¼-inch layer. Fry the steaks one or two at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove drain on paper towels and season with salt while warm.
Gravy
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¼ cup fresh chopped tarragon
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and stir to mix. Cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in the tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper.