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Chicken-Fried Steak with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Bacon Green Beans

A shallow skillet fry and a double cracker coating give chicken-fried steak a deeply craggy crust, with creamy roasted garlic potatoes and crisp-tender bacon green beans alongside.

Crisp chicken-fried steak with peppery gravy, creamy roasted garlic potatoes, and bacon green beans on a dinner plate.

This dinner gives each part of the plate a distinct job: a crisp steak, soft roasted-garlic mash, and green beans that stay lively rather than limp. The timing overlaps the oven and stovetop work, then turns the steak drippings into a peppery gravy that brings the plate together.

Start with soft roasted garlic

Roasting the garlic in foil turns its sharp edge mellow and spreadable while the rest of the dinner comes together. Mash it into well-drained potatoes with butter and milk for a creamy side that does not compete with the gravy.

Keep the beans tender-crisp

Bacon provides the savory base, but the beans need only a brief turn in the skillet after the onion softens. Pull them while they are still bright and snappy, then rewarm them gently at the finish rather than cooking them again.

Double-coated cube steaks rest on a wire rack beside the breading station before shallow frying. — The double-coated steaks rest on a rack before their shallow skillet fry.

Build a crust that stays crisp

A seasoned flour base gives the egg mixture something to hold, and the second pass through egg and finely crushed crackers creates a rugged coating. Letting that coating rest on a rack and frying in batches keeps it attached and prevents the pan from cooling.

Use every good browned bit

After frying, leave a measured layer of drippings and the browned crumbs in the skillet for the gravy. Whisk the flour until it turns lightly blond, then add milk gradually so the peppery sauce becomes smooth and thick rather than lumpy.

Golden craggy steak crust, pepper-flecked country gravy, and creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes in close detail. — A craggy golden steak crust meets pepper-flecked country gravy and creamy potatoes.

Plate at the last moment

Set the steak beside the potatoes and green beans, then spoon gravy over the center just before it reaches the table. This leaves crisp edges exposed for contrast, while extra gravy can be passed for the potatoes.

Chicken-Fried Steak with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Bacon Green Beans

4 servings

75 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 (4-ounce) cube steaks
• 1 head garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb russet potatoes
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb green beans, trimmed
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups finely crushed saltine crackers
• 1/2 cup neutral frying oil

Method

Roast the garlic
Heat the oven to 400 F. Trim the garlic head, drizzle it with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and roast until the cloves are soft and golden.
Look for: A skewer slides easily into the garlic cloves and they squeeze from their skins.
Cook the green beans
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove it, then sauté the onion and green beans in 1 tbsp bacon fat until the beans are bright, tender-crisp, and still snappy. Fold in the bacon and keep warm.
Look for: The onion is softened and the beans bend slightly but resist when bitten.
Boil and mash the potatoes
Cover the russet potatoes with cold salted water, boil until they pierce easily, then drain well. Mash with the roasted garlic, butter, and 3/4 cup whole milk until creamy; cover to keep warm.
Look for: The potatoes break apart easily and the mash has no dry pockets.
Set up the crisp coating
Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour with baking powder, kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and 1 tsp black pepper in one shallow dish. Whisk eggs and buttermilk in a second dish, and put crushed saltine crackers in a third.
Look for: The seasoned flour is evenly colored and the cracker crumbs are fine with a few textured bits.
Double-dredge the steaks
Pat the cube steaks dry, coat each in seasoned flour, dip in the egg mixture, then press into the saltine crackers; repeat the egg and cracker coating. Rest the coated steaks on a rack so the crust adheres.
Look for: Each steak has a shaggy, fully covered crust with no wet bare patches.
Shallow-fry until crisp
Heat the neutral frying oil in a heavy skillet to 350 F. Fry two steaks at a time for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden and crisp; transfer to a rack and repeat.
Look for: The oil bubbles steadily around the crust and the finished coating is deep golden, not pale.
Save the steak drippings
Move the crisp steaks to a warm rack and carefully pour off all but 3 tbsp of the browned drippings, leaving the flavorful bits in the skillet.
Look for: A thin layer of fat remains with browned crumbs across the skillet bottom.
Make peppery country gravy
Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour into the steak drippings and cook until lightly blond. Gradually whisk in the remaining whole milk and simmer with the remaining black pepper until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Look for: The gravy is glossy, pepper-flecked, and leaves a clear trail when a spoon passes through it.
Refresh the sides
Warm the bacon green beans briefly over low heat and loosen the roasted garlic mashed potatoes with a splash of hot water if needed, keeping the beans tender-crisp.
Look for: The beans are hot but remain vivid green and the potatoes are soft enough to spoon.
Plate and serve
Divide the roasted garlic mashed potatoes among four plates, set a crisp chicken-fried steak beside each, add bacon green beans, and spoon the peppery country gravy over the steak just before serving.
Look for: The gravy coats the steak while the exposed crust edges remain crisp.