The Bluebonnet serves the kind of plate that lands with a little weight: crisp steak, cloud-soft potatoes, green beans, and enough peppered gravy to make the whole thing feel settled.
Jo Brennan does not believe in shrinking herself or her portions. This is diner food with its shoulders back.
Ingredients
- 4 tenderized cube steaks, about 5 ounces each
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 3 tablespoons pan drippings or butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
How to make it
- Pat the steaks dry. Whisk flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne in a shallow dish.
- Whisk eggs and milk in a second dish. Dredge each steak in flour, dip in egg mixture, then coat again in flour. Press the coating firmly onto the meat.
- Heat ½ inch of oil in a heavy skillet to 350°F. Fry steaks in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden. Drain on a rack.
- Pour off the oil, leaving 3 tablespoons of drippings. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in milk. Simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon, then season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Spoon gravy over the steaks and serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.
From Susannah’s Kitchen
The first trick is a double dredge. The second is letting the coated steaks rest for five minutes before frying, so the crust stays where it belongs instead of floating away in the skillet.
The Book Connection
In Book 7, the Bluebonnet is damaged and rebuilt. Chicken fried steak is the right companion recipe because it is sturdy, familiar, and unapologetically Texan. It is the kind of meal people return to after a hard day, and the kind of diner classic Jo knows how to make fully her own.
Cook Along with Lark Mesa
The Last Booth at the Bluebonnet
This kitchen story is paired with Book 7 in the Lark Mesa Romance series. Meet the people, places, and small-town moments behind the recipe.
Explore the Lark Mesa books →