Steak Frites with Béarnaise
The bistro plate: a properly-rested rib-eye or sirloin, twice-fried golden chips, and a glossy béarnaise sauce on the side. Forty minutes of focused work; the closest a home cook gets to a bistro lunch.
Overview
The frites take the longest (peel, cut, soak, fry low, drain, fry high) so start there. Béarnaise wants a clarified butter and a tarragon-vinegar reduction whisked into egg yolks. The steak is the easy part: hot pan, butter and thyme baste, rest hard.
Ingredients
Frites
- 600 g Maris Piper potatoes (peeled, cut into 1 cm thick batons)
- Vegetable oil (or beef dripping for deep-frying)
- Sea salt
Steaks
- 2 rib-eye (or sirloin steaks, about 250 g each, 2 ½ cm thick)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 garlic clove (smashed)
- salt
- pepper
Béarnaise
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 shallot (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon (chopped)
- 4 black peppercorns
- 3 egg yolks (large)
- 200 g unsalted butter (melted, kept warm)
- Salt
- An extra tablespoon of fresh tarragon (to finish)
Method
Stage 1 - Frites: first fry
- Soak the cut chips in cold water for 10 minutes; drain and pat very dry.
- Heat oil to 130°C. Fry chips in batches for 6-7 minutes until soft but pale.
- Drain on a wire rack; let rest while you make the sauce and steak.
Stage 2 - Béarnaise reduction
- Combine vinegar, wine, shallot, tarragon and peppercorns in a small pan.
- Reduce over medium heat to about 2 tablespoons; strain into a heatproof bowl. Cool slightly.
Stage 3 - Cook the steak
- Pat the steaks dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a heavy frying pan over high heat until smoking.
- Add the steaks; sear 2 minutes a side for medium-rare (3 minutes for medium).
- Lower heat slightly. Add the butter, garlic and thyme. Tilt the pan and baste the steaks with the foaming butter for 30 seconds.
- Lift onto a board; rest at least 5 minutes (essential).
Stage 4 - Finish the béarnaise
- Add the egg yolks to the strained reduction. Whisk over a pan of barely-simmering water until thick and ribboning (4-5 minutes).
- Drizzle in the warm melted butter slowly, whisking continuously, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Stir in the remaining tarragon; season with salt.
Stage 5 - Frites: second fry
- Heat the oil to 190°C.
- Fry the chips again in batches for 2-3 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
- Drain, salt immediately.
Stage 6 - Plate
- Slice the steaks against the grain (or serve whole).
- Pile chips alongside; a small jar or ramekin of béarnaise.
Notes
- Rest the steak: Five minutes minimum. The juices need to redistribute or you get a wet plate and dry meat.
- Béarnaise can split: Keep the heat gentle; add butter slowly. If it splits, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water and try to bring it back.
- Twice-fried chips: Single fry gives raw centres or burnt edges. Two stages is non-negotiable.
Storage
- Steak best hot from the rest. Eat cold sliced into a salad if leftovers; never reheats well.
- Béarnaise doesn't keep; eat the day it's made.
- Frites soften within an hour of frying.
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