Delicious Baked Swiss Steak

“Swiss” steak doesn’t actually come from Switzerland. The name comes from “swissing," a textile term meaning to pound something through rollers, which is exactly what you do to the round steak here: pound it flat with flour pressed right into both sides.

That pound-and-flour move is the whole technique. It tenderizes the tough round cut and creates a coating that browns into a thick crust in the skillet, then thickens the tomato sauce as it slowly simmers in the oven. By the time two and a half hours pass, the meat is fork-tender and the sauce has body without any extra thickener.

Don’t skip the deglaze. After browning the steak and removing it, the brown bits stuck to the pan are flavor gold. Adding the canned tomatoes directly into the hot pan and scraping them up with a spoon pulls every bit of fond into the sauce.

Onions go between the steak and the sauce in the baking dish for a reason. As they soften over the long bake, they release juices that soak into the meat from above and underneath.

Chef Tips

• Use a meat mallet’s textured side, not the flat side. The studded surface breaks down connective tissue better.
• Salt and pepper the flour before pounding. Seasoning trapped in the coating tastes better than seasoning sprinkled on the surface.
• Cover tightly with foil during baking to trap steam. Moist heat is what tenderizes the meat.
• Save leftovers. The flavor improves overnight as the sauce continues to penetrate the beef.

Variations

• Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms to the onion layer for an earthier sauce.
• Stir a tablespoon of brown sugar and a splash of red wine into the tomato sauce for sweet-savory depth.
• Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles to catch the sauce.