Oh crumbs! RecipeTin’s secret to making cheap but chewy minute steak a juicy, tasty joy

Name: Oh crumbs! RecipeTin’s secret to making cheap but chewy minute steak a juicy, tasty joy
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 4 x 150g beef minute steaks (600g total); 1⁄4 tsp cooking salt; ⅛ tsp black pepper; 2 eggs, lightly whisked; 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs; 2 cups canola oil, for cooking (1.5cm depth in the pan)

Nagi Maehashi

September 17, 2024

Serve these beef schnitzels with mushroom gravy, mashed potato and salad. Rob Palmer; STYLING: Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

This is the first recipe I think of whenever I pick up thinly sliced beef minute steaks (sometimes sold as “sandwich steaks” or “sizzle steaks”). It’s a great way to turn an economical cut of beef into a cosy dinner that everybody loves.

Minute steaks are lean and tend to dry out quickly when cooked. But if you schnitzel them, the crust protects the meat inside, keeping it juicy while the crumbs get super crunchy.

When making the gravy, ensure you sprinkle the flour evenly across the surface of the pan rather than dumping it in one place, and slowly pour the stock in while you stir. This is the path to lump-free gravy.

Ingredients

Schnitzels

4 x 150g beef minute steaks (600g total)
1⁄4 tsp cooking salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
2 cups canola oil, for cooking (1.5cm depth in the pan)

Flour dredge

110g (¾ cup) plain flour
½ tsp cooking salt
1⁄4 tsp black pepper

Mushroom gravy

50g unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
200g white mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp cooking salt, divided
1⁄4 tsp black pepper, divided
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml (1 cup) low-sodium beef stock

To serve

mashed potato
leafy salad with your favourite dressing

Method

For the Schnitzels

Step 1
Gently pound the beef using the spiky side of a meat mallet to 0.5cm thickness (see note if you don’t have a meat mallet). If your beef is already this thin, give it a light pound anyway as this will tenderise the meat fibres.
Step 2
Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Mix the flour and remaining salt and pepper in a bowl. Then put the whisked egg and panko crumbs in two separate bowls.
Step 3
Coat a piece of beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip it into the egg, then let the excess run off. Coat in the crumbs, pressing to adhere, then put the crumbed beef on a tray. Repeat with the remaining steaks. Set the schnitzels aside while you make the gravy.

For the mushroom gravy

Step 1
Heat half the butter and the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms with half the salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened, adding the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
Step 2
Add the remaining butter and let it melt, then stir it through the mushrooms. Sprinkle the flour evenly across the surface and stir it in − the mushrooms will look as if they have a paste stuck to them. Slowly pour in the stock, mixing as you go. Mix until the flour “paste” stuck to the mushrooms dissolves into the liquid (about 20 seconds).
Step 3
Add the remaining salt and pepper. Simmer on medium heat for about 3 minutes until the mixture thickens to a gravy consistency, stirring occasionally to ensure the base doesn’t catch. Remove from the stove, and cover with a lid to keep warm while you cook the schnitzels.

To assemble

Heat 1.5cm of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the schnitzels in two batches for about 90 seconds on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve with the gravy, mashed potato and a simple side salad. Enjoy.

Note: Pounding the meat tenderises the meat fibres and makes the beef into “schnitzel” thickness. If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can use a rolling pin or the side of a can of tomatoes.