Posted on by Bob

Steak Frites, with a twist…

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You won’t want to eat this every day, but as we celebrate New Year’s Eve, why not spoil ourselves, eh!

Steak Frites avec Pepper Sauce

A classic dish, with a twist.
Combining French cuisine with a bit of Italian…or whoever invented the pepper sauce…
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine French, Italian
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Sous Vide cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 2 steaks Striploin or your preference
  • 4 drops liquid smoke adds smokey flavour to sous vide steak as you only cook on the bbq for a minute a side, so not much time to get the traditional smokey flavour from the coals.
  • 3 large potatoes Yukon Gold if possible
  • 3 tbsp butter salted
  • 2 tbsp semolina
  • 3 tbsp black peppercorns Madagascar or Tellicherry preferred
  • 5 tbsp Dijon mustard plain, not grainy
  • 1/4 cup brandy cheap stuff
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup beef bouillon
  • 2 tbsp Malden salt or flakey sea salt equivalent

Instructions
 

Steak Preparation

  • If you don't cook sous vide (yet) or bbq, you can pan sear the steak and finish in the oven.
  • About 3.5 hours before serving time, setup the sous vide for a temperature of 134 F., for medium, or your preference. It may take up to 30 mins to reach a stable 134 degrees.
  • Place each steak in a separate bag. Toss in a knob of butter and two drops of liquid smoke, per bag. Vacuum seal the bags and keep in the fridge until the sous vide is up to temperature.
  • When the sous vide temperature is stable, toss in the bags of steak. They can cook for three hours or so, depending on your timing of the steak fries and final serve time.

Steak Fries

  • About 1.5 hours before serving time, you can start to prepare the fries.
    Turn on the oven and set to 350 F. Place an ovenproof dish on a high shelf in the oven. The dish should be large enough to hold all of the fries on a single layer…no touching…
    Wash the spuds but do not peel. Cut lengthwise into chunky steak fries and place in a pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and par-boil for two minutes.
    Drain the water and let the potatoes steam for a couple of minutes to dry off.
    Meanwhile, melt three tablespoons of butter, and when the spuds are dry, toss the butter into the pot. Put the lid back on and shake around until the fries are coated evenly with the butter.
    Sprinkle in the semolina, put the lid back on and roughly shake the pot so the fries are a bit bashed up…but not broken.
    When the oven is at 350 degrees, pour in the fries and space out.
    They will take about one hour to cook to a golden brown on the outside, but fluffy on the inside.
  • Once the fries are in the oven, you can go and do something else for 30 mins…"but be, back, soon…"

Pepper Sauce

  • About an hour before serving time you can start to prepare the pepper sauce. It doesn't actually take that long, but best not to rush this part.
    You can always keep it warm on the stove top after it's finished, just make sure it doesn't reduce too much and burn.
  • Crush the pepper corns with the side of a chef's knife. Do not use a coffee grinder or pestle & mortar as both tend to make some of the pepper grounds too small and dusty.
    Pour the Dijon mustard into a shallow saute pan.
    Add the crushed pepper corns to the mustard and set to medium heat on the stove top.
    When the mustard starts to bubble, add the brandy. You can flame the brandy if you like, or just leave it be until the alcohol evaporates. Then add the beef bouillon. Stir well and let reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
    When it has reduced to about half the original volume, you can stir in the cream. Reduce some more until the sauce thickens to a nice saucy consistency. And who doesn't like a nice creamy sauce eh…

Healthy Balance…

  • You are going to need some green veggies to complement the meal, so go ahead and prepare those now.

Finishing the Steak

  • About 40 minutes before serving time crank up the barbie so it will be nice and toasty when you need it, soon.
  • 15 minutes before serving time, take the steak out of the sous vide bags and pat dry with paper towel. Brush lightly with olive oil and toss them on the bbq. Turn them over every 15 seconds or so. Cook for about a 1-1.5 minutes in total until both sides have a rich crust formed.
    Remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board.
    Serve immediately onto plates.
    Remove fries from oven and sprinkle with the Malden salt.
    Some of the pepper sauce can be drizzled over the steak, but pour most of it into a gravy boat or similar for self-serve at the table.
    Add your green veggie and viola!

3 Replies to “Steak Frites, with a twist…”

  1. Looks great, and a clever alternative to what is otherwise Umberto’s excellent pepper steak recipe. What please does the semolina add to/do for the potatoes?

    1. The semolina crisps up the outside of the spuds even more than just using the butter. Of course, duck fat is even better due to its higher melting temperature, but semolina is a little easier to come by…

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