Steak and Chips

Dinner | French

Prep time: 1 min Cook time: 10 min Servings: 4

This is a classic steak and crispy chips (aka Steak Frites) recipe, perfect to make at home. Juicy sirloin steaks, double-cooked chips, and a rich green peppercorn sauce finished with a quick flambé.

The steaks are dry-brined for an hour before cooking: salt draws moisture to the surface, then that moisture reabsorbs carrying seasoning deep into the muscle, and the surface itself dries out completely. That dry surface is what allows a proper crust to form the moment the steak hits a hot pan. You can skip this step if you don't have the time, it will still be tasty and you can still get a nice crust on your steak by using a protein press or heavy base pan.

Turn the steaks frequently during cooking, every 30 to 45 seconds: the constant movement gives you more even heat transfer and a more consistent crust than leaving each side untouched.

The chips use a double-cook method that most good chip shops use: par-boiled first to cook through, frozen to halt cooking and drive off moisture, then fried at 140°C to build the outer starch structure, frozen again, and finished at 180°C for colour and crunch.

The green peppercorn sauce is built directly in the steak pan after the steaks are done. Shallots and garlic soften in the residual fat, the peppercorns go in, then brandy is added and flambéed. The flambé burns off the harsh, raw alcohol character while keeping the aromatic compounds that round out the sauce. Beef stock then reduces by half, concentrating the flavour, and cream goes in last to enrich and bind.

Ingredient Notes

Sirloin steak: I like to use sirloin for this one as it has good marbling for flavour, a firm texture that cooks predictably, and a fat cap along one edge that renders as the steak cooks and bastes the meat. A 300g sirloin is a decent portion. If you can’t find sirloin or want to substitute, ribeye gives more marbling and a richer result. Rump is leaner with more chew. Whichever cut you use, bring the steaks to room temperature before the dry brine or allow the full hour so the surface has time to dry properly. Look for steaks with consistent thickness so they cook at the same rate.

Beef tallow: Beef tallow is rendered beef fat with a smoke point of around 250°C, which makes it excellent for deep frying. It gives the chips a distinctly beefy, savoury flavour that vegetable or seed oils don’t. It’s available from good butchers and some specialty food stores. After frying, strain the used tallow through a fine sieve while still hot, cool, and store in the fridge. It keeps for weeks and can be reused several times before the flavour deteriorates. Neutral oil (canola, rice bran, sunflower) is a workable substitute if tallow isn’t available, though the flavour of the chips will be noticeably different.

Green peppercorns: Green peppercorns for this sauce come packed in brine in a small tin or jar, not dried. They’re the same fruit as black peppercorns but harvested before they ripen and then brined rather than dried and fermented. The result is a milder, more floral and slightly fruity heat compared to black pepper. They hold their shape and texture in the sauce and provide little pops of flavour throughout. A 55g drained tin is the right amount for four servings with a clear but not overwhelming peppercorn presence. If you prefer less heat, use half the tin and adjust at the end.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Wire racks and trays
Large saucepan
Deep heavy-based frying pan (for chips)
Heavy-based frying pan (for steaks and sauce)
Tongs
Probe or instant-read thermometer
Paper towel
Large bowl

Ingredients

4 large potatoes (Sebago, Russet Burbank, King Edward or Dutch Creams) washed
4 x 300g sirloin steaks
sea salt and black pepper, for seasoning
beef tallow, for frying
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
55g can green peppercorns, drained
60ml (¼ cup) brandy
500ml (2 cups) beef stock
60ml (¼ cup) cream

Directions

Prep steak and potatoes
Place the steaks on a wire rack over a tray and season generously with salt. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour to dry brine.
Slice the potatoes into 2cm thick long sticks.
Place in a large saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 12 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.
Drain and transfer to a wire rack over a tray. Place in the freezer until chilled.
Cook chips
Heat the tallow in a deep frying pan to 140°C (285°F) for deep frying.
Cook the potatoes in batches for 8-10 minutes, then drain on a wire rack over a tray.
Place in the freezer to chill again, or they can be frozen at this point until you want to cook to serve.
Cook steaks and sauce
Pat the steaks dry with some paper towels.
Heat a heavy based frying pan over medium high heat.
Cook steaks (starting with the fat side down), turning every 30-45 seconds, until internal temperature reaches your desired doneness.
Transfer to a wire rack to rest.
Add the shallots to the pan, saute for 1 minute to soften. Stir in garlic and peppercorns and season with black pepper. Cook for a further minute.
Add the brandy and flambe, shaking pan until flame subsides. Stir in stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half. Add in the cream and check the seasoning, add salt if needed. Let simmer for another minute.
Cook chips again and serve
Increase the tallow temperature to 180°C (355°F). Cook the chips again in batches for 5-6 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain, then toss in a large bowl with salt.
Slice the steaks and serve drizzled with pepper sauce and chips on the side.

Ingredients

Directions

Recipe notes