For those of you who don't know, creamed chipped beef on toast is an old breakfast dish popularized by the U.S. Armed Forces (notably the Marine Corps, said to be particularly adept in the art of preparing this dish), among whose ranks it's more commonly known as S.O.S., standing for "Same Ole Stuff," or the less polite "You-Know-What on a Shingle." Accounts conflict as to whether the traditional recipe uses chipped (i.e., dried, smoked, and salted) or ground beef, but we believe the dried chipped version is the more authentic.
The basic recipe for this simple comfort food consists essentially of dried beef, flour, margarine, and milk, although many variations on the theme exist. Personal embellishments we've come across include the addition of parsley, garlic powder, chopped onion, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, among other ingredients. Regardless of the specific version you may choose, it does, we can assure you, taste a lot better than it looks!
As far as venues in Las Vegas serving this dish are concerned, they are indeed few and far between. We checked with Monte Carlo and got confirmation that its coffee shop still serves it up for $4.95 from 7 -11 am daily. As reported in LVA, October 2005, it's also available at the Longhorn Diner out on Boulder Highway, where it's served from 5-11 am each day for $2.79. Thirdly, Michael's Pub, a San Diego Chargers bar located at 4012 S. Rainbow Blvd. (near Flamingo Road), serves it as one of their Sunday specials during the football season. The price is $3.95. We haven't tried this one but we'd like to hear from anyone who has, just as we'd like to hear of any other places in Las Vegas you may have come across that serve S.O.S.
There's one other location in town we know of that serves great creamed chipped beef, but we regret to inform you that it's not open to the general public, since the venue in question is none other than Anthony Curtis' parents' house! His mom has, however, kindly donated her recipe for this QoD. Enjoy!
Chipped Beef on Toast (from the kitchen of AC's mama)
Serves 4
1 jar Hormel Dried Beef 2 tbs melted butter 2 fairly heaping (you can always add more) tbs flour blended in 1/2 cup milk (does not need to be whole milk) 2 cup milk pepper to taste (optional)
Wash and pat dry dried beef to eliminate saltiness. (You can do this by placing in a bowl of warm water while you're assembling the remainder of the ingredients). Cut into 1/4-inch strips.
In heavy pot, melt butter and toss in cut beef. Stir to coat.
Add 2 cups milk and pepper (opt). Bring to a near boil.
Add blended flour/milk combination and bring to a boil to thicken.
If it's too loose, add additional blended flour/milk to thicken to your taste for consistency.
If it's too thick, add more milk, a little at a time, to thin to your taste for consistency.
Serve over toast.
