• Servings: 2
• 2lb Round steak, pounded to 1/2" thickness & sliced w/grain into 1" strips
• - OR -
• Cubed steaks, 4-6pcs
• Salt & Black pepper
• Flour
• 1/4c+ bacon grease (or vegetable oil)
• 1lg onion, sliced
• 1lg green pepper, sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1tsp paprika
• 1tsp oregano
• 2tblsp Worchestershire
• 1 1/2c stewed tomatoes (or 14oz can)
• 4tblsp tomato paste (approx 1/2 can)
• 1 1/2-2c beef consommé (or 14oz can)
• 7-10med Yukon Gold potatoes
• 3-5cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 - 1 stick butter, per your taste
• 1/2c sour cream
• Splash - 1/8c half-n-half
• Salt & Black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325deg F.
2. Heat grease to med-high in heavy Dutch oven.
3. Season steak w/salt & pepper, and dredge thru peppered flour.
4. Fry meat, being careful not to overcrowd, cooking in batches if necessary, til well-browned on both sides.
5. Remove from pan and set aside.
6. Cook onion, pepper and garlic in same pan, adding grease if needed, for 2-3min til becoming tender.
7. Add seasonings, Worchestershire and tomatoes.
8. Meanwhile, whisk together paste and consommé in sm bowl or pitcher til smooth, and pour over veggies.
9. Return steaks to pan and submerge in sauce.
10. Cover and bake in oven 1.5-2hrs til meat is fork-tender.
11. While meat is cooking last 1/2hr or so, boil potatoes in large pot of salted water til very tender.
12. Drain, return to pan, add garlic, butter and sour cream, and stir & fold using a lg spatula to melt butter and blend well.
13. Hand-mash with a ricer, if you have one; if not, smash against sides of pan while blending with spatula.
14. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
15. Add just enough half-n-half as needed to make creamy; these potatoes aren't meant to be smooth and fluffy, but rather thick and chunky.
16. Serve steaks atop smashed potatoes smothered in gravy. And you, too, may soon have the eternal love of your next Ex.

I garnered the eternal love of one of my Ex's, for 6yrs anyway (seemed like eternity), when I cooked him homemade Swiss Steak and potatoes. He'd never seen gravy actually made- thought it grew in a jar. I thought he was going to have to change his undies while he was eating, the way he went on... like Robert Plant singing Whole Lotta Love...