Lisas Swiss Steak

Swiss steak is the original American technique for making tough beef tender, no Switzerland involved. The name comes from “swissing," an old leather-trade term for pounding and rolling material to break it down. Applied to round steak, that means tenderizing tough muscle fibers with a meat mallet before braising in a tomato-rich gravy.

Dredging the tenderized steak in seasoned flour and browning hard creates the fond that flavors everything below. The flour also acts as the gravy thickener, dissolving into the tomato base during the long oven braise into a thick, glossy sauce.

Lisa’s version takes a smart shortcut by combining four canned ingredients (mushrooms, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, mushroom gravy, and tomato sauce) for the braising liquid. It’s not from-scratch cooking, but it’s a winning depression-era trick that delivers deep flavor with zero fuss.

The 1½-hour bake at moderate heat is what does the magic. Round steak’s collagen breaks down somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes of moist cooking, transforming chewy meat into fork-tender slices that fall apart at the touch.

Pro Tips

• Get the round steak fully tenderized at the butcher counter, or pound it yourself with a meat mallet to ¼-inch thickness.
• Brown in batches if your pan is crowded. Steamed beef won’t develop the fond you need.
• Use sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla for a mellower onion flavor that complements the tomatoes.
• Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice to catch the abundant gravy.

Variations

• Substitute fresh sliced mushrooms for canned for fresher flavor; sauté them with the onions.
• Add a splash of red wine to the sauce for a more sophisticated, deeper flavor.
• Stir in chopped fresh thyme or oregano with the canned ingredients for an Italian-leaning angle.