A good slow cooker recipe--Ranch House Chicken Fried Steak

Ranch House Chicken Fried Steak
175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics Copyright 2006

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs round steak
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup chicken stock
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ cup whipping cream
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped I used 1
Hot fluffy mashed potatoes

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add steak, in pieces, if necessary, and brown on both sides. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and cook, stirring, until thickened. (Sauce will be very thick.)
3. Spoon sauce over meat in slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until meat is tender.
4. In a small bowl, combine paprika and cayenne. Gradually add cream, mixing until blended. Add to stoneware along with jalapeño pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, until flavors meld. Serve with hot, fluffy mashed potatoes.

Serves 6.
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Okay, this isn't really 'chicken fried' if you ask me but it was still darn good. It had a little kick from the jalapeño and cayenne. I knew this recipe was going to turn out good when I scraped the thick 'sauce' over the meat. Slow cooked meat always gives off lots of liquid so I knew the gravy would end up perfect and it did. I did the first three steps the night before then I reheated the meat and gravy slowly and finished it off.

I've purchased or borrowed from the library quite a few slow cooker cookbooks - Fix It and Forget It, Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes Volume 1 & 2, The Complete Slow Cooker Coobook, Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and others. By far my favorite slow cooker cookbooks have been those authored by Judith Finlayson. 175 Essential Slow Cooker Recipes, 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes are the three of her's that I own so far. She has a few more too.

Her books outshine the other slow cooker cookbooks as far as the quality of recipes. Her books also have beautiful photographs. I don't think most slow cooker cookbooks want you to see what the recipes turn out looking like but this author has no need to fear.

Blast From The Past:Mom’s Smothered Pork Chops from November 2006. Another good slow cooker recipe from Judith Finlayson.

Question of the Day: Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe?