Alright, so I tackled making country fried steak the other night, and you know that dish just screams for some solid, comforting sides. Couldn’t just serve the steak alone, that feels wrong somehow. So, I rolled up my sleeves and got down to sorting out the supporting cast.
Getting the Potatoes Going
First things first, mashed potatoes. It’s practically law with country fried steak, right? I grabbed a bag of good ol’ Russets from the pantry. Gave ’em a quick rinse. Honestly, peeling potatoes is probably my least favorite kitchen chore, but I did it anyway this time. Sometimes I leave the skins on for a more rustic feel, but I wanted smooth today.
I chopped them into roughly equal chunks – doesn’t have to be perfect. Dumped them into my big pot, covered them with cold water, and added a real generous pinch of salt. Put the lid on, cranked up the heat, and let them boil away until they were fork-tender. You know, when a fork slides right in with no fight. Drained ’em really well; watery potatoes are just sad.
Then came the mashing. I used a hand masher, nothing fancy. Added a good chunk of butter – probably more than I should admit – and then started splashing in some whole milk while mashing until they looked creamy. Not too wet, not too dry. Salt and plenty of black pepper stirred in at the end. Had to taste it a couple of times to get it just right. Simple, but gotta be done proper.
Next Up: Green Beans
While the potatoes were boiling, I started on the green beans. Needed something green on the plate. I actually had some fresh ones this time, which felt like a win. Snapped off the ends, gave them a wash.
My go-to way? Bacon. Always bacon. I chopped up about three strips of bacon and threw them into a skillet over medium heat. Let them get nice and crispy. Scooped the bacon bits out with a slotted spoon, leaving that glorious bacon grease behind.
Tossed the fresh green beans right into that hot grease. Stirred them around, let them sizzle and get a little tender-crisp. Added a splash of water and put a lid on for just a few minutes to steam ’em through. Didn’t want mushy beans. Took the lid off, let any remaining water cook off, then stirred the crispy bacon bits back in. Added a little salt and pepper. Done. That bacon flavor just makes ’em perfect with the steak.
Can’t Forget the Gravy!
Okay, this is critical. Country fried steak without gravy is just… incomplete. Especially that creamy, peppery white gravy. After I finished frying the steaks, I poured off most of the grease from the skillet, but left all those tasty browned bits stuck to the bottom. That’s where the flavor lives.
Put the skillet back on medium heat. Sprinkled in a few tablespoons of flour right into the remaining grease and drippings. Whisked it constantly for a minute or two, letting the flour cook a bit – gotta get rid of that raw flour taste. This makes your roux.
Then, slowly, I started pouring in milk while whisking like crazy. You gotta pour slow and whisk fast to avoid lumps. Kept adding milk and whisking until it started bubbling and thickening up nicely. If it got too thick, I just added a tiny splash more milk. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to meld the flavors. Seasoned it generously with salt and lots, lots of black pepper. Some folks add a pinch of cayenne, but I kept it classic this time. Taste, adjust, taste again. That creamy gravy is just essential.
Putting It All Together
So there it was. Plated up the crispy country fried steak, piled a big scoop of those creamy mashed potatoes right next to it, added a helping of those bacony green beans. Then, the best part: smothered the steak and a good portion of the potatoes with that homemade pepper gravy.
Looking at that plate, it just felt right. Nothing fancy, just honest, hearty food. It’s funny, sometimes I think about trying different, maybe more “gourmet” sides. I remember trying some roasted root vegetable medley once, and it was fine, but it just didn’t fit. It didn’t feel like country fried steak anymore. Took away from the main event, you know?
It reminds me of this project I worked on ages ago, completely different field, where we kept trying to bolt on all these fancy new features nobody asked for. Complicated everything. Sometimes, sticking to the simple, reliable basics – the mashed potatoes and gravy of the situation – is just the best way to go. They just work. They belong. And that’s what I did here. Just good, solid sides for a good, solid meal. Felt good to make it, felt even better to eat it.
