Smothered Cube Steak

Nothing could be easier and more economical than this dish.  Cube steak is a great way to feed your family without breaking your wallet, in today's economy they average $1 per person at my local market.  They key to this dish is to set your oven at 200 to keep the cooked steaks warm while you finish browning the rest and finally make the sauce.  The real flavor for this dish comes from Worcestershire [WUUS-ter-sher] sauce, which is a popular, fermented condiment used to flavor meats.

4 cube steaks (roughly 1/2 lb each)
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, sliced thin
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce.
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a half-sheet pan in there to keep warm.  Combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper together and place in a dish to dredge the meat in.  Pat steaks dry if needed and dredge each one in the flour mixture, coating well - set aside.  Reserve 1 tbsp. of the flour mixture.

Heat two tablespoons oil in a large pan (preferably not non-stick) over medium heat until oil shimmers.  Place two steaks into pan, leaving alone (do not move around) until browned - roughly 3 minutes per side.  Remove steaks from pan and place into sheet pan in oven to keep warm.  Repeat with remaining steaks, placing them in the oven as well when done.

Place butter into browned pan where steaks were cooked and melt over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, roughly 5 minutes.  Take reserved tablespoon of flour and sprinkle over onions, cooking for an additional minute or two.  Add broth, Worcestershire and thyme, stirring up all the browned bits.  Sauce will begin to thicken in a minute or so.  Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Remove steaks from oven and add to pan along with juices, turning the steaks to coat with sauce.  Serve.