Stretch Cooking: Smothered Steak

When you take a piece of seasoned round steak, dredge it in flour, brown it nicely on both sides, then simmer it in its own gravy, you wind up with Smothered Steak, a staple in the Stretch Cooking repertoire.

The stretch elements here are the round steak, which is one of the cheaper cuts, and gravy, which makes all kinds of meat dishes go farther, and of course bread, to go with the gravy. The gravy can be made with water, or milk, or half of each. The gravy will have intense flavor, from being simmered with the steak, and the steak, in turn, will be remarkably tender. It is a nice partnership.

A pound and a half of round steak, an inch thick or less, and trimmed of its rim of fat, is fine. You don’t have to pound it, or tenderize it, unless you want to. Cut it into three or four pieces. Slice through any connective film around the edge of the steak, so it won’t curl in the skillet. Season the steak on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dredge the steak in flour – a pie pan works nicely for this – and let the steak sit on a rack for five minutes.

Render the steak fat trimmings in a large, heavy skillet – I like cast iron – and add oil as needed to a depth of one-quarter inch. Bring the fat up to a temperature higher than medium, but not medium-high: 6, on a knob scale of 10. Give the steak a good browning on both sides. Place it back on the rack.

Pour off most of the fat, into a used coffee can, until the bottom of the skillet is three-quarters covered with fat – about three tablespoons. Be careful not to lose any of the browned bits in the bottom of the skillet.

Return to medium-high heat. Stir in three level tablespoons of flour, and stir constantly until the flour is browned and loses its raw flour scent. Add two cups in all of liquid – water, or water and milk, and a little cold coffee if you have it – and stir until the gravy starts to thicken. Salt and pepper the gravy. Place the steak in the skillet, turning it to coat both sides with gravy. Cover and simmer on very low heat for an hour and a half. Flip the steak a couple of times during this time.

Traditional with Smothered Steak are rice, turnip greens (or spinach), sliced tomatoes and plain white bread. Or choose your own sides.