Steak & Frites
Steak and potatoes is a classic dish interpreted throughout the world. This iteration is a take on the classic French “steak au poivre” but with a more simple and easy approach that can be finished within 30 minutes start to finish. The homemade fries are the perfect vessel to soak up any and all of the sauce leftover in your pan. This dish is meant to be shared as it is quite luxurious and rich–as it goes with most French dishes.
Groceries:
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1 tbsp crushed black pepper
- 1 steak of your choice (ribeye, NY strip, Flank, hanger etc.)
- 1 x tbsp ghee
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups beef bone broth
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch fries
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt for taste (kosher, preferred)
- 1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
Method:
To make sure timing is correct, turn your oven onto a “keep warm” setting, or just as low as it goes. This will help with any time you need to keep things warm while you are finishing up something else. Take it out 1 hour before cooking to help get to room temperature. Salt heavily on all sides while you work on your fries. Let rest on a wire rack for any moisture to drop down.
For the fries:
Drop in your uncooked fries into boiling salted water and boil for 5-10 minutes, or until still firm but cooked all the way through. The potatoes should still have a bend to them but fluffy and cooked on the inside. Let rest on a wire rack to cool. Get a pot of oil to 300 F. Drop in your fries for the first fry and cook for 5-7 minutes until still blond but starting to crispen on the outside. Rest on your wire rack. Get your pot of oil up to 350 F. Once your steak and sauce are done, drop your fries in for a final fry until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt as soon as they come out.
For the steak:
Get a heavy-bottomed cast iron pan, a thick 3-5 ply stainless steel pan or a carbon steel pan on the heat. Turn onto medium high heat, or until the pan just reaches smoking and add your ghee. Cook your steak until just before your desired doneness. Let your steak rest. Empty your pan of any excess oil and bring back to medium heat. Add in your butter, garlic and thyme and add back in your steak and baste until cooked to your desired temp. In the same pan, cook your shallots and black pepper for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Deglaze with the bone broth and reduce by ¾. Add in your cream and let reduce until it coats the back of a spoon.
To plate:
This is up to you: sauce can first go down on the plate or over your steak, but make sure the fries are close so they can soak up all the sauce. Bon appétit!
