Chicken Fried Steak and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onion.

You know that line from the movie Nacho Libre where the little kid looks at Jack Black and says, “Why can’t we ever have just, like, a salad…?”

Yup.


Well, I made brussels sprouts... they were just covered in bacon. And cheese. Get over it.


Grayson dinner day and on the menu: Chicken Fried Steak, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onion, and Mashed Potatoes.

For the Chicken Fried Steak:
Cook time plus time for marinade: 3 hours, Serves: 4

- 1 pound top round steak (I was at Target and found these pre-cubed individual steaks…


and having heard that cubed steak is good to use in chicken fried steak recipes I opted to go with them versus go the “Tyler’s Ultimate” route and cut my own steaks by hand and tenderize them myself blah, blah, blah… truth be told, they were very tough. Probably should have gone the Tyler Florence way…he always seems to know best.)
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
(I used dried because I am too poor right now to be springing for fresh herbs, but fresh is always better. Just remember that when you use dried herbs you use much less.)
- Kosher Salt and pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon cumin (Jacob and I both thought this added a weird flavor, so I wont be adding this next time I make this recipe)
- 2 eggs
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (like I said, too poor. I know, I know, parsley is cheep. I am also lazy.)

Here are the directions as seen on foodnetwork.com:
Slice the steak into 4 pieces. Place each piece between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound thin, about 1/4-inch thick. Place the pieces in a shallow bowl and pour over 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, and thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a shallow plate, season 2 cups flour with cumin, salt, and pepper. In another shallow plate lightly beat the eggs and add 1 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Remove the steaks from the marinade and shake off the excess buttermilk. Dredge in the flour, dip into the beaten egg mixture, and dredge again in the seasoned flour; set on plate to rest for a few minutes while you cook the bacon.
Slice the bacon into 1-inch pieces and place them into a large cold skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve the fat in the skillet. Cook the steaks in the bacon fat over medium heat until they are golden brown on each side, about 10 minutes; set aside and keep warm. Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for about 1 minute breaking up any lumps. Slowly pour in the remaining cup of buttermilk stirring constantly to break up lumps. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened; season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Place the steaks on plates and top with the gravy; garnish with bacon. Sorry I don't have a photo of the finished product, but let's exercise our imagination for a moment: Picture... a river of orange/brown gravy, so plentiful that you cannot see the pulverised, deep-fried meaty goodness you know lies beneath. Now top that with chunks of warm, crispy bacon. I believe that's called a triple-threat of meaty magic. Have your
defibrillator on hand.


As for the Brussels Sprouts:
Cook time: 1 hour, Serves: 8

- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and loose leaves removed
- ½ lb bacon, cut into chunks
- 1 and ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup parmesan grated, to top
Again, instructions courtesy of foodnetwork.com:

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt and the Brussels sprouts. Put the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil until the Brussels sprouts are just fork tender about, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the sprouts and transfer to an ice bath. Let cool completely, then drain and set aside.Cut the Brussels sprouts into 1/4-inch lengthwise slices and set aside. Add the bacon to a medium saute pan, and cook until just crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Adjust heat to medium-high, add the onions to the pan and saute until they are translucent and just beginning to caramelize, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the butter to the pan, then add the Brussels sprouts and saute for 3 to 4 more minutes. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the reserved bacon and the cheese. Serve immediately.
Please, if you have a heart attack after eating any of the meals I post, please, please don't come after me...