Fry All the Things! (Italian-style Fried Steak)

Yesterday I put my deep-fryer to good use.  I’d made some appetizer-like things since I bought it last week, but I hadn’t really, really  done anything with it. Let me set up the scene for you – It’s Saturday night, there are a few things in the fridge from Costco, but no dinner plans.  Usually this can be a problem.

Well, I decided to avoid the problems by firing right angles to reality.  I had steaks.  I had a deep fryer on the counter ready to go.  Where’s the problem exactly?

Because, there’s a solution:

Italian-style fried steak

 Shopping list:

• Steak – New York strips or similar.  Roughly one per person.
• A lot of vegetable oil.  My fryer takes a gallon.
• Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• Parmesan cheese
• Short pasta – I suggest penne
• Pasta sauce
• Something green (French green beans?)

So, the hardest part about this meal is getting past the cultural sticklers.

Can we agree that fried is good, in moderation?  Excellent.

First off make some pasta sauce.  You can use some stuff from a jar, and it will be tasty, but I’d rather not hear about it.  Whatever you do, make sure it’s heavy on the aromatic herbs, and throw in some red pepper flakes for good measure. If you’re completely unsure, try here minus the meat.

Fast-forward in time, if you will, to a place where that pasta sauce is simmering away, and there’s a pot on the stove ready for pasta.   Include in this reverie a gallon of hot oil, awaiting further orders.

Things from here are simple – take each steak, wash in egg yolk, and then dredge in a 50/50 mix of panko and Parmesan cheese. Toss that into 375F oil for about five minutes (less if the steaks are thin).  Remove to a 175F oven if you’re cooking in batches.  Rinse, repeat, don’t wipe hands on pants because they’re probably nasty.

Serve with pasta, and sauce over everything.