Kevin Cooks: Steak Frites
In NYC (that’s New York City btw [that’s “by the way”]), there’s a restaurant that has one thing on its menu: steak frites. Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte (not a sponsor) is a parisian restaurant that opened up in NYC that came to my attention on social media as influencers across the world flocked to take B-rolls and A-rolls on their iphones while adding in a voiceover in post-production on their Macbook Air. Despite the commentary surrounding our generation’s proclivity to capturing every moment on our cameras and smart devices - #PhoneEatsFirst - rather than enjoying the ephemeral nature that makes life beautiful, it did make me crave steak frites.
And when I went to a french restaurant in Cleveland, and saw Steak Frites on the menu, I was feeling a little too cheap to pay $31 for something I could make at home for way less money. So I drove to WholeFoods the next day, spent $66 on all the ingredients I needed, and got started. (that was sarcasm - I should have just ordered it).
Steak Tips:
This is the first time I put steak on my blog. Not to play into gender discussions, but if anyone has really noticed, a lot of men really want to cook steak. It’s something that brings immense pride. They are so happy to see the looks on people’s faces when they take their first bite and inevitably mutter the words “mmmmmm” because the audience knows 1.) how expensive it is and 2.) they can see the looks on the guy’s face on how much he put his ego on the line for this and saying “it’s dry” or “it’s chewy” would destroy the one time he did something selfless in the kitchen for you. Then you imagine all the other garbage this guy makes for himself on a daily basis when his mommy can’t cook for him because he’s in or out of college now, but once every 3 months, he wants to cook steak and he suddenly elevates himself to Chef Gordon Ramsey status.
This is obviously kind of a trigger for me, but my point is this: steak isn’t hard to make. I understand that it’s tasty and theatrical, but ANYONE can cook a steak decently well if they watch a 5 minute YouTube video. I understand that it’s easy to mess up, but the window to getting it taste good, is WIDE. So stop feeding his ego and stop being so proud of yourself! Go make Braised Short Ribs or something and then I’ll clap.
Ok enough commentary.
Let your steak sit out of the fridge for 5-15 minutes.
Once a little closer to room temperature, add a generous amount of salt and pepper to ALL sides (even the edges). Add other seasoning that you want to.
Heat a cast iron pan and add some olive oil to it. Place the steak on the pan and let it sear for at least 2 minutes until it gets that nice color. Flip and repeat on the ALL edges, and then finally on the other side.
Lower the temperature of the pan and add butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme on the side. Let the butter melt. Tilt the pan towards you, throw that cooked garlic/rosemary/thyme onto the streak, grab a spoon and baste that melted butter onto the streak.
An internal temp. of around 130-145 should mean it’s medium. If you don’t have a thermometer (or refuse to use it), I like to use the palm method. Feeling the thenar eminence (fatty pad of your palm under your thumb), touch your thumb to your pointer, middle, ring and pinky finger. The firmness of the thenar eminence corresponding to the firmness of the steak is how well-done your steak is. I like my steak medium (because prions - mad cow disease - scare me) so I usually estimate it to be somewhere around my middle finger.
You can also throw your steak in the oven (at 350-375) if it’s a thicc boy and it needs to cook internally longer without burning the outside.
There are several ways to cook a steak - grill, reverse sear, sous vide, etc. I just am stove top master because I don’t have an income and don’t own a grill or a sous-vide cooker thing.
This is that famous “eye-ball” technique.
This is a sous-vide machine thing if you didn’t know
Ingredients:
Steak (1lb -1.5lbs)
I got a rib eye - my favorite cut
2 Potatoes
1 shallot
4-5 cloves of garlic
Thyme
Rosemary
Heavy cream
Black peppercorn
pepper
salt
Directions:
Start by cutting your potato into your desired width.
Heat up a kettle or some water in a pot. Don’t bring it to boil. Just get it warm and a little steamy. Add salt. Add the cut potatoes in there and let it rest for 15-30 minutes.
Take the potatoes out and pat dry with paper towel
Heat your fryer to 350 degrees with a oil (sunflower, avocado, peanut, or canola work great). Drop in the fries and let them cook until golden brown - about 30 seconds - 1 min
Remove them out of the oil and let them sit on some paper towel and rest for another 30 minutes.
During this time you can prepare your steak. If it isn’t already out of the fridge, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to get closer to room temperature. Then season with salt and pepper on all sides.
Heat a cast iron skillet or pan. Add some olive oil. Sear the steak on all sides and edges. Usually about 2 minutes per side.
Once done searing, add 2-3 tbs of butter, with 2-3 garlic cloves and thyme and rosemary. Drop the heat to medium-low and baste. Stop when you have your preferred temperature.
You can add it into the oven at 350-375 with this method if it’s still a little raw inside.
Remove the steak and let it rest under aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes.
In the same pan you used to cook your steak add chopped shallots and and minced garlic. Cook until translucent and aromatic. Add white wine OR sherry OR brandy to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan.
Pour in some heavy cream. Add coarsely grounded black peppercorn and black pepper and stir.
Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer until it thickens up.
Reheat the oil for the fries to 400 degrees this time. Add the fries back in until crispy and and extra golden brown.
Finally, cut your steak up (make sure it’s to your liking - if it’s undercooked you can throw it into the oven. If it’s overcooked… tough luck), and plate your dish. Add the black peppercorn sauce on top. Enjoy.
