Morning Chicken Fried Steak Recipe With Hatch Chili Red Eye Cream Gravy & Roasted Potatoes by Chef Andy Knudson

Growing up I had a grandmother that made chicken fried steak from Texas and an aunt who makes fried pork chops from North Dakota. When thinking about brunch I wanted to add these two food memories together and create one of our top-selling dished on the weekend at Tillie's in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Both my grandmother and aunt did a lot of cooking and when we look back at family pictures, I am always in the kitchen next to them. Not knowing that I my life would become one of a chef. My grandmother has since passed but my aunt is still frying up pork chops for the family. Did see her this past summer and requested a meal that I have had every time I have seen her for as long as I can remember. She told me that it was my turn to cook for her. Long story short I have not had her pork chops in several years!

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Chicken-fried Steak

• 4 tenderized steaks (white tail deer, nilgia, beef, pork, chicken, buffalo, elk, wild boar, etc.)
• 6 eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons course ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder
• 1/2 cup dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Hatch Chili Red Eye Cream Gravy 

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (can substitute bacon fat, beef tallow or vegetable fat)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup Hatch chilies, diced (roasted and seeded)
• 2 tablespoons fresh ground coffee
• salt, black pepper and ground cayenne, to taste

Roasted Potatoes

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 cup fat (EVOO, brisket tallow, bacon fat, vegetable oil)
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 5 sprigs thyme, rough chopped

Here's how to make it: 

1. To make the steak, season the flour with all of the spices and keep in separate bowl. Whisk all the eggs keep in a separate bowl. Take the steaks and dredge them in flour and then into the egg mixture, then back into the flour. 
2. Here is the life choice: If you are a person that owns a deep fryer, then fry at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes until golden brown. If you are the kind of person that cooks in a cast iron or a dutch oven, fill with your fat of choice (I like canola and beef tallow). If pan frying, you are going to want to do a shallow fry. Based on how big your pan is you want about 1/2 inch of desired fat. Carefully place steaks in and cook on each side until golden brown. Remove from fat and let rest on a sheet tray with a wire rack. This will help the fat run off and stay crispy!
3. To make the gravy, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the flour, whisking continuously, for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the cayenne pepper, hatch chilis, coffee ground, salt and black pepper. Continue cooking while whisking frequently until gravy has thickened to your desired consistency.
4. To make the potatoes, wash and cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes. (It does not have to be perfect because you don’t want to waste those potato skins, plus you get those crispy bits.) Toss everything into a bowl and season heavily. You want that salt and pepper to be there! Place on a baking sheet (don't crowd the pan because space gives you crispiness). Bake in a preheated 425-degree F oven for 15 minutes. Rotate the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes. Rotate one more time and crank the oven to 475 degrees F and cook for the last 5 minutes until golden brown and delicious. 
5. To build the plate, put the roasted potatoes on the bottom. Add the steak and smother in gravy. Garnish with chopped green onions. Dig in! 

Photo courtesy of Tillie's

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