CFS minis

Me: “Have you ever had the chicken minis at Chick-fil-A? I’m thinking about doing those with beef.”

The Mr.: “Do you think I would ever order anything with 'mini' in the name?"

Point taken.

That’s why I didn’t tell him what I was thinking of calling these. But, mini or not, they are quite substantial little treats equally suited for breakfast, lunch, dinner or parties. As a substitution idea, you could also make them with biscuits for a different spin.

Ingredients

1 package cube steak

Rhodes frozen white dinner rolls (1 per patty, see below)

1.5 cups buttermilk

12 ounces beer

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

Coarse sea salt

Coarse black pepper

Cayenne pepper (optional)

Garlic powder

Vegetable oil

Directions

Let rolls rise according to package directions. (I’m a fan of the quick method, which involves cheating a little bit with a warm oven and some boiling water.)

Cut cube steaks and form into roll-size patties. I found I could make 2-3 patties per cube steak, but this will vary greatly depending on the size of the cube steaks you’re working with.

Pour flour on a plate and season generously with the spices. Mix it around and add a little more seasoning.

Mix buttermilk, beer and eggs in a bowl.

Dredge patties into the dry mixture, into the wet mixture and then back in the dry. Place on a plate you’ve sprinkled with flour and place in fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough when a flour piece rises quickly to the top.  

Add patties to the oil carefully and cook about 3 minutes per side or until nice and brown. (Cooking time will vary based on size of patties, oil depth, how many you are cooking at once, etc.) Drain on paper towels.

While they are cooking, bake rolls according to package directions. I like to put just a touch of butter on top of each before I start baking them.

When rolls are done, remove from oven and allow to cool about a minute before splitting. I didn’t completely separate mine, leaving a little bit of a pocket to stick the steak in. Slide the steak in, and repeat with remaining rolls. If desired, serve with gravy for dipping. (Click here for my favorite gravy recipe.)

Ours looked like this: