Southern-Style Creamy Beef “Shingles”

Brown the Meat In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until it’s fully cooked. Do not drain the fat—that’s the base for your gravy. If using chipped beef, chop it into small bits and sauté it in the butter instead.
Make the Roux Sprinkle the flour directly over the meat and fat. Stir it constantly for about 2 minutes. You want the flour to coat the meat and cook through so it doesn’t taste “raw.”
The Slow Pour Turn the heat down to medium. Slowly whisk in the milk about half a cup at a time. Keep stirring to get rid of any lumps.
Thicken and Season Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes until it’s thick and creamy.
- Note: It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Prep the “Shingles” Toast your bread until it’s extra crunchy. You want it stiff enough to hold up under the heavy gravy.
Serve Place two slices of toast on a plate (whole or cut into triangles) and ladle a generous amount of the beef gravy over the top.

The Bread: Use a sturdy white bread like Texas Toast or sourdough. Thin sandwich bread will get soggy too fast.
The “Beef” Switch: If you use Dried Chipped Beef (the kind in the little glass jar), make sure to rinse it under cold water first. It is incredibly salty!
The “Kick”: A dash of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper in the gravy really brings out the savory beef flavor.