Chicken Fried Steak

Directions

1. Pound the steaks evenly and thoroughly so they will not be too chewy. Place each steak between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the steak until it is very thin, less than 1/4 inch.
2. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the salt over all the meat on both sides.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Put a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in the oven. (The oven will be used to keep the completed steaks warm and crispy while cooking the gravy at the end.)
4. Next, get two wide, shallow dishes. In the first one, whisk together the eggs and ½ cup of the almond milk (the rest of the almond milk will be used for the gravy.) In the second, whisk together 2 cups of the flour (reserve ¼ cup for gravy), 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and cayenne.
5. Working one at a time, dredge a steak in the flour. Using the heel of your hand, press the flour into both sides of the steak. Lift the steak, shake off the excess flour, and dip the steak into the egg wash, coating it on both sides. Lift the steak out of the egg wash, shake off the excess egg wash, and then dredge the steak in the flour a second time. Again, press the flour into the steak on both sides. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining steaks and set them all aside.
6. In a large skillet, add olive oil so that the bottom of the pan is full for about 1/4 inch. Heat the oil to 350°F or until it sizzles when you drop a little flour into it. If the oil doesn't sizzle, it isn't ready; if it burns, the oil is too hot, reduce the heat. One at a time, lay a coated steak into the hot oil.
7. Use a metal spoon to spoon some of the oil over the steak. Fry until you see the edges of the steak turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn the steak over in the pan, and fry for 2 more minutes. Once both sides of the steak are golden brown, tip the steak up with a metal spatula to drain the excess oil. Remove it from the pan and place it on the wire rack in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining steaks until all of them are in the oven.
8. Turn off the heat under the steak pan. Pour out all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the remaining flour and turn the heat on to medium. Cook until it's the color of milk chocolate, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
9. When the flour-fat mixture is smooth and a lovely milk chocolate color, slowly add the almond milk and cornstarch, whisking constantly. Note that the mixture will seize up initially, and will loosen as you whisk in more liquid. Add milk to your desired thickness for gravy. If the gravy is too thick for you, add more milk. If it's too thin, let it cook longer. Season with salt and lots of black pepper, to taste.
10. Serve chicken fried steak with the gravy immediately as it is best when the steak is crispy and the gravy is fresh.