Pork Rind–Crusted Chicken-Fried Steak with Sausage Cream Gravy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Cube steaks get a shatteringly crisp crust from crushed pork rinds and almond flour, shallow-fried in hot fat until deep golden, then blanketed in a peppery sausage cream gravy thickened with cream cheese instead of flour. All the comfort of a Southern plate lunch with zero starch — serve it with a pile of buttered green beans and you won't miss a thing.

Ingredients

• 4 beef cube steaks (about 5 oz each)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz plain pork rinds
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups lard or avocado oil, for frying

• 8 oz bulk pork breakfast sausage (sugar-free)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. Pat the cube steaks very dry with paper towels and season both sides with the 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Let them sit at room temperature while you set up the breading.
2. Put the pork rinds in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin to coarse crumbs (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Pour into a shallow dish and stir in the almond flour, parmesan, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.
3. In a second shallow dish, whisk the eggs with 3 tbsp heavy cream and the Dijon until completely smooth.
4. Dip each steak in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the pork rind mixture on both sides, packing the crumbs on with your palm. Set the breaded steaks on a wire rack and let them rest 10 minutes so the coating sets.
5. Make the gravy first: brown the sausage in a wide skillet over medium heat, 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until well browned. Add the butter and cream cheese and stir until melted.
6. Pour in the 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and the chicken broth, bring to a bare simmer, then sprinkle the xanthan gum over the surface while whisking constantly. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy coats a spoon, then season with the cracked pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Keep warm over the lowest heat, stirring occasionally.
7. Heat the lard or oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high to 350°F (about 1/2 inch deep; a crumb should sizzle immediately). Fry two steaks at a time, 3 minutes per side, turning once with tongs, until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 145°F.
8. Transfer the fried steaks to a clean wire rack set over a sheet pan — never paper towels, which steam the crust — and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the oil return to 350°F before frying the second batch.
9. Spoon the hot sausage gravy generously over each steak, scatter with chives, and serve right away while the crust is still crackling.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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