By Dorie Greenspan, The New York Times
Having lived between France and the United States for decades, I know itap risky to cook a national classic when the nation isn’t your own.
But a little while ago in Paris, I invited friends over for dinner, misjudged the time I had to shop and cook — and ended up making steak frites with frozen fries.
I’d planned to confess, but I didn’t have to: My friends clocked the spuds immediately. They knew the fries had come from Picard, the frozen food store, because they used the exact same ones.
Finding fellowship in the Picard posse was fun, but cooking frozen fries was a personal triumph for me. (I’d destroyed my parents’ kitchen making them when I was in middle school, and I’d steered clear of the culprits ever after.)
Now, I keep a stash of them on hand when I’m in America, mostly because they’re tasty and fast, but also because spur-of-the moment steak frites makes me think of places like Bistrot Paul Bert, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where the blackboard menu says, “red meat is served blue, rare or badly cooked.” Paul Bertap lightly golden fries are cut like planks and cooked soft inside and crisp (not crunchy) outside. No ketchup in sight.
I know I’m not truly capturing the quintessential bistro meal in my home kitchen, but even taking the frozen frites shortcut, I come within range. And I can do it any night of the week.
Steak-cut frozen fries come closest to almost-like-France and almost like the ideal that Charles Izenstein, an alumnus of Frenchette, a bistro in New York City, described: When you crack open a good fry while itap hot and fresh, the potato left inside will look almost like crystals — the water is gone, just a bit of steam remaining. To nudge the frozen versions toward the ideal, I toss them with a little oil and lay them out on a rack set over a baking sheet. And to mimic the traditional double-fry method used for from-scratch frites, I bake them at 400 degrees to just about cook them through, then at 450 degrees to get color and crust. As with all fries, they’re best when they’re finger-singeing hot.
The dupe for a French bistro steak, which runs lushly marbled but is usually only 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, is a rib-eye, bone in or out. If you’d like something chewier, choose a skirt or hanger steak. No matter the cut, the key to cooking it is a heavy skillet (I use cast-iron), high heat and an apron: If the fat doesn’t spatter, then your pan isn’t hot enough.
I’m a fan of herb butter popped on top at the last minute. Make it while the oven is heating up, and it’ll be just right at serving time. But plain steak is very French and very good, as is a quick sauce made by deglazing the pan with wine or brandy and then, off heat, adding a nugget of cold butter and plenty of black pepper.
Chez moi, I tally up the difference between having this dinner at a steakhouse and having it at home, and use some of my savings to splurge on a red wine. Also ketchup. I hope the Paul Bert team isn’t horrified.
Recipe: Steak Frites
You get a particular kind of pleasure (and a little puff of pride) when you make something at home that you’d usually order in a restaurant. Extra points if the dish is splurgy and the homecooked one is reasonable, like this version of steak frites. Yes, you’ve got to buy a steak, but a good steak at the market costs a fraction of what you’d pay eating out. And the fries? They’re from a sack of plank-cut frozen potatoes. Call it a cheat, but they’re what lots of French home cooks use. When they’re tossed with oil, set on a rack, baked on high and then higher heat and served finger-singeing hot, they’re good enough to remind you of your favorite bistro. Tally up the difference between having this at a steakhouse versus at home and you can put some of the savings toward a delicious bottle of wine.
By Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2 servings
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the butter:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 small shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley or tarragon
- 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the fries:
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 14 to 16 ounces steak-cut frozen fries
For the steak:
- 1 (1- to 1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in or boneless rib-eye or porterhouse steak, about 1.5 pounds, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons oil, such as canola
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and place a cooling rack over it.
2. As soon as you turn on the oven, start the butter. Working in a small bowl, mash the butter with the shallot and parsley. Grate the zest from half the lemon over the butter, cut the lemon in half and add a squirt of juice and blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mold the mixture into a log about 2 inches long, wrap in plastic or foil and freeze until needed.
3. To make the fries: Put the oil in a medium bowl, add the frozen fries and toss to coat. Arrange the fries on the rack, leaving some room between them. Bake for 10 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Continue baking until the fries are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. The pip-squeaks might get dark, but the chubby planks will be just right. Taste one, then sprinkle the batch sparingly with salt, if you think itap needed (frozen fries are often preseasoned).
4. When you turn the oven heat up to 450, start making the steak: Put a heavy skillet — cast iron is great here — over high heat. Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Standing away from the stove, pour the oil into the pan, swirl it around and slip in the steak. (Warning: The oil will spatter.) Cook the steak for three minutes, flip it over and cook for two minutes more if you want a rare steak. Cook a minute or two more if you like your beef more well-done. Carefully transfer the steak to a warm serving platter, tent loosely with foil and let the steak rest for at least five minutes, or until the fries are cooked.
5. When you’re ready to serve, pull the butter out of the freezer, cut it into four rounds and place them on the steak.
This article originally appeared in .
