Rump Steak (Romsteak): Breaded Fried Beef
When I was little and got left with my father for the weekend, he always cooked meat for lunch. Thin slices of beef were fried in butter in a pan. The rule was that beef without breading was called a langet, and with breading, a rump steak (romsteak). I had no objections at all, since it was delicious either way. Even then I noticed how simple and quick it was.
A piece of beef cut from the back of the carcass is pounded a little, more to give it an even thickness. Add a little salt and black pepper. Then the meat is dipped in egg or lezon, a mixture of egg, water and spices, and breaded by rolling it in breadcrumbs. Long ago, ready-to-fry semi-finished versions were sold. You only had to drop them into a pan with hot oil.
The meat is most often cut from the back, usually the rump or thick tenderloin. It is sliced across the grain and trimmed of membranes, tendons, fat and any bone fragments. The pieces are no more than 2-2.5 cm thick and weigh up to 150 g. They say the name of this fried meat points to the part of the carcass, rump steak, from the rump or round. In most cases, though, any good meat without fat, membranes and tendons is used.
Romsteak is fried in a well-heated pan in butter or ghee, often a mix of vegetable oil and butter, until a crust forms. The crust is a very important stage, because it keeps all the juices inside the meat. Since the meat is pounded only slightly, it does not always have time to cook through. So it is finished in the oven or over lower heat, so the breading does not burn.
By and large, romsteak is similar to a famous dish of Austrian cuisine, Wiener schnitzel. The difference is in how thin the meat is pounded and which part of the carcass it comes from: schnitzel is very thin, almost translucent, and very large in area.
Romsteak cooks fast. After pounding, the meat is breaded and fried quite quickly. The pieces are thin, and 8-10 mins is enough for the meat to be ready. Like most dishes of this kind, it is served hot and drizzled with the butter it was fried in. Fried potatoes or vegetables are served as a side, sometimes crumbly grain dishes similar to pilaf, or beans cooked until tender.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Piece of boneless beef (120-150 g) 2
- Egg 1
- Breadcrumbs 0.5 cup
(50 g) - Butter 50 g
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Salt, black pepper to taste
- Fried potatoes, sauce for serving
Step-by-step recipe
Ideally, romsteak is made from the “right” meat, well trimmed, without fat or much connective tissue. In real life that is not always possible. So when choosing pieces of meat, make sure they are cut across the grain and are not too thick. In the store you can often find small oval pieces, not very thick and about the size of a palm, and this kind of beef works just fine.
Rinse the beef and pat it dry with paper towels. It is easy to pound the meat with a kitchen mallet, trying to even out its thickness rather than make it thinner. To avoid damaging the surface of the meat too much, you can cover it with plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of the mallet. After pounding, the pieces of meat will be a bit larger in area.
You do not need many spices for romsteak. Salt and ground black pepper are enough. Crack one chicken egg into a bowl, add 1 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt. Beat the mixture with a fork until smooth. Dip the pieces of meat well into the egg mixture and put them on a plate.
A few words about breading. Store-bought breadcrumbs are usually not of high quality. Good breading comes from a baguette dried until it is “ringing” hard, which you can buy in any store now. Grate the dry baguette and sift it. Coat the pieces of meat in the breading. Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan to make a fat mixture. When the oil starts to bubble, carefully lay the breaded meat in it and fry over above-medium heat.
When the underside is fried to a nice golden color, flip the pieces and fry the other side. After that you can finish the romsteak in the oven, or better, lower the heat and, turning it often, bring the meat to doneness. It is easy to check by piercing the meat with the tip of a knife. If clear juices run out, the meat is ready. If the liquid is pink, it needs a bit more time. To keep the breading from getting soggy, do not cover the pan with a lid, and fry the meat uncovered.
Potatoes fried in wedges make a very good side. It is delicious when they are left in their skins, which should be washed well before frying. If you like, serve a tomato sauce or homemade ketchup. Put the side on a plate, lay the romsteak on top and drizzle it with the remaining butter from the pan. Serve the meat right away, while it is still very hot and you can hear it sizzle.
Breaded fried beef cooks very quickly. If the meat is not frozen, dinner can be ready in 30 mins. It is a very convenient dinner dish at the end of a working day, when you have neither the energy nor the time to cook. Besides, even in a small portion, it is very filling.
Calories and macros
770 kcal
Serving ≈ 190 g
- Protein39 g21% of kcal
- Fat52 g61% of kcal
- Carbs34 g18% of kcal
100 g401 kcalProtein 20.6 gFat 27.2 gCarbs 17.8 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
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