Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast

Also fondly and not so fondly known as SOS.

At the end of May, the men of Easy packed up their barracks bags and … [took] a stop-and-go train ride to Sturgis, Kentucky. At the depot Red Cross girls had coffee and doughnuts for them, the last bit of comfort they would know for a month. They marched out to the countryside and pitched pup tents, dug straggle trenches for latrines, and ate the Army's favorite meal for troops in the field, creamed chipped beef on toast, universally known as SOS, or Shit on a Shingle.

~From Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

Regardless of being maligned by generations of former servicemen, I find many veterans hold perhaps a nostalgic fondness for this dish. Creamed chipped beef itself is a dried, salted, smoked preserved meat product which explains it's widespread use in field kitchens. Preparing it requires only flour and condensed, evaporated or dried milk and it can be prepared in ginormous quantities to feed to an army of hungry soldiers. It also proves that you can put almost anything in cream sauce and it's improved.

While I find many people will turn their noses up at this dish, I once brought a crock pot of it to a small food festival, and was surprised when not a drop remained at the end of the event. I wouldn't eat it everyday, but I enjoy an occasional SOS once in awhile.

There are several brands of dried beef. I've found the Hormel brand is the most common in my area and comes in convenient resealable glass jars.

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1.5 ounces dried beef, sliced
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Soak the beef in a small bowl to remove some of the salt. This allows you to adjust the salt content of the dish yourself.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and add the flour while constantly stirring with a whisk to make a roux. When the flour/butter mix is just starting to brown, add the milk and continue stirring until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the back of a spoon without dripping off.

Drain and add the beef, stirring for a couple minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick you can add just a touch of milk.

Add salt and a couple grinds of pepper to taste.

Serve on toast or English muffin

Optionally, if you want to get fancy, add a fried or poached egg. Cayenne pepper or paprika. Parsley, green onions or even saute'd mushrooms.