Chicken-Fried Steak with Peppered Gravy

Making the chicken-fried steak: With a meat mallet, flatten each steak to a 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Add the milk and egg yolks to a shallow bowl, whisk to blend. To another shallow bowl, add the flour, chipotle powder, garlic powder and oregano, and whisk to blend. Dip each steak in the egg yolk/milk mixture, then in the seasoned flour, then in the egg yolk/milk mixture again, and finish with a second dip in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a nonstick saute or frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry 2 steaks at a time, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm. Making the peppered gravy: Drain excess oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Add the flour and stir to blend. Cook, while stirring, until the flour smells nutty and begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the beef stock, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the gravy until it is thick enough to coat a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir to blend, and keep warm. Plate the chicken-fried steaks and smother with gravy. Serve with bitter greens and mashed potatoes.