3rd times the charm!

After having a craving for a good old country fried steak and seeing a recent show on Food Network, I decided it was time to try out this Southern classic! I have made attempts at gravy before (both have been unsucessful), so I was a little scared to try this. I even went ahead and bought packages of gravy mix.... not very confident in myself am I? Ha. But to my surprise the gravy turned out delicious and without lumps! yay. That is except for the diced potatoes which were included in this recipe. I cannot believe how good this menu was considering it was my first time to make anything like it. The gravy had a slightly different taste to it because the recipe called for it to include diced potatoes, minced garlic, and chopped red onions! Yum! The cream corn was DELICIOUS. Although, probably not very healthy...sorry! ;) It was a recipe, once again, from my Neely's cookbook. I did learn to save the steaks for last. The soaking in the egg and flour mixture takes about 20 minutes, but the actual frying time takes 5-7 minutes when the oil is hot and ready. Luckily I was able to wrap mine in foil and they remained warm while waiting on the gravy.
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds cube steak, cut into individual steaks
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil, for frying (I used a Smart Balance oil with canola, soy, & olive)

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the steaks, stir to coat, and let sit 10 minutes. In a paper bag, combine the flour, cornstarch, a few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the steaks from egg mixture and put into the paper bag. Roll the top of the bag to close, and shake until the steaks are evenly coated. This may be done in batches. Let the coated steak rest on a sheet tray lined with a rack for 10 minutes.
In a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet add enough oil to reach 1/2-inch up the sides. Heat the oil over medium heat to 370 degrees F. (When a wooden spoon inserted into the oil creates tiny bubbles, the oil is ready.) Fry the steaks, in batches if necessary, flipping only once when color is golden and a poke releases no red juices, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a serving platter and serve with Diced Potato Gravy.

Diced Potato Gravy
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 large russet potato, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley, for garnish
In a large straight-sided skillet heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, stirring to combine with the butter. Add the bay leaf and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the parsley.
Recipe from Sunny Anderson's Cooking For Real