Country Fried Lion’s Mane with King Oyster Gravy

Serves 2

For the mushrooms:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 oz Lion’s Mane mushrooms, cut into 2-3 inch steaks, depending on how thick you want them to be

• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 3 cups neutral oil, for frying

  For the wet batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 egg yolk

• 7 ounces beer, like pale ale or pilsner

  For the dry coating:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

  For the gravy:

• 8 oz King Oyster mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• ½ cup diced shallots

• 1 teaspoon dried sage

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1½ cups whole milk

• Make the wet batter: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and egg yolk. Add the beer and whisk to combine.

• Make the dry coating: In a separate, large bowl, combine the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.

• Prepare the mushroom steaks: In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms; season with salt. Using a second heavy-bottomed skillet, press down on the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to “leech” water and are flattened to about 1 to 2 inches thick. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, 4 to 5 more minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

• Meanwhile, make the gravy: Slice mushrooms about ¼-inch thick. You will blend them later, so there’s no need to be overly precise. Add the canola oil to a medium frying pan over high heat, and then sauté the mushrooms until browned. Add the shallots to the pan and continue to cook for another minute until the rawness has been cooked out of the shallots and they’re translucent.

• Place the mushrooms and shallots into the work bowl of your food processor, and add the sage, red pepper flakes, clove powder, soy sauce and maple syrup. In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk the mixture until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the whole milk, and heat the mixture until slightly thick.

• Add the milk mixture to the food processor that contains the mushroom mixture. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped and well incorporated into the milk, but leave some chunkiness for a nice texture.

• Return the mixture to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve. If it gets too thick, add some milk or stock to thin it out.

• Cook: In a medium pot fitted with a thermometer, heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Working one piece at a time, dredge each seared mushroom in the dry coating, then in the wet batter, then in the dry batter again. Add to the hot oil and cook, flipping occasionally, until the batter is deep golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes (start checking around 5 minutes). Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Serve warm, with gravy spooned over top or on the side.