It was dinnertime, and Mitz Erickson was in a pickle. The young mother from Cudahy, Wis., needed to get dinner on the table and she wasn’t an enthusiastic cook. But while wandering the aisles of her grocery store, a memory came to her — creamed, chipped beef on toast. It's a dish her mother would make for her and her siblings long ago in Nebraska as a young military wife.
It was “Navy, army-type food back in the day, and I think it crept its way into American households just as a quick, easy, inexpensive food to make,” says Erickson.
It's the perfect solution for a weeknight dinner dilemma. The simple concoction of flour, milk, and dried beef hits all the vital flavor notes for a comfort food classic. Most importantly, it can be whipped up in a pinch. The recipe can also be jazzed up with peas or hot sauce. But for Erickson no additions are necessary. “For some reason I just don’t. I eat it like this.”
Mitz Erickson’s Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast (S*** on a Shingle)
- 1 package (2 ½ ounces) dried beef
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Step 1: Cut dried beef into quarters.
Step 2: Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in flour and gradually add the milk. Stir constantly until mixture thickens.
Step 3: Add dried beef, simmer for five minutes.
Step 4: Add black pepper. Serve over toasted white bread.
Editor's note: Family Recipes is produced by Lucien Jung, a long time contributor to Lake Effect. In Family Recipes, Lucien visits the kitchens of Milwaukee-area residents as they prepare special family dishes they remember from childhood.
