Steak Frites for a Busy Tuesday
This is the lunch that clears your head. It relies on the contrast between a dark, salt-crusted exterior on the meat and the pale, soft interior of a potato fried until the edges shatter.
Dry meat is the only non-negotiable.
Pat your steak with paper towels until it is bone-dry before it touches the oil. Moisture is the enemy of a proper crust.
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- heavy-bottomed pot for frying
- tongs
- wire cooling rack
What goes in.
- 28oz strip steaks, room temperature
- 3russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch batons
- 2 cupsneutral oil for frying
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2sprigs of fresh thyme
- to tasteflaky sea salt and cracked black pepper
Control the butter foam
Once the steak has a deep brown sear, drop the heat and add butter and thyme. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming, herb-infused fat over the steak repeatedly until the meat reaches your desired finish.
The method.
Fry the potatoes
Heat oil to 325°F. Fry potatoes for 5 minutes until soft but pale. Remove and drain on a rack.
Prepare the steak
Rub steaks with oil and a heavy coating of salt. Heat the cast iron skillet until a drop of water dances and evaporates instantly.
The hard sear
Lay steaks in the skillet. Do not move them for 3 minutes until a dark, mahogany crust forms. Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side.
Butter baste
Add butter and thyme. Tilt the pan. Spoon the fat over the steaks for 1 minute. Remove and rest on a board for 8 minutes.
Finish the frites
Increase oil heat to 375°F. Drop the par-fried potatoes back in for 3 minutes until they turn a deep golden brown. Drain, salt immediately, and serve with the sliced steak.
Other turns to take.
Compound butter
Mash soft butter with minced shallot and parsley before spooning over the resting meat.
Peppercorn finish
Deglaze the steak pan with a splash of cognac and a spoonful of heavy cream to create a quick pan sauce.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Keep the potato batons in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to fry; drain and dry thoroughly before the first fry.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed or refined canola.
Do not crowd the skillet; if the steaks touch, they will steam rather than sear.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know the steak is done without a thermometer?
Press the center of the steak. If it feels like the fleshy part of your palm below your thumb, it is medium-rare.
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