Steak Frites

A great recipe for those looking to take their steak and chips to the next level. The homemade garlic butter for the steak and the lemon and rosemary salt for the French fries make this dish heavenly. Recipe below...

INGREDIENTS

The butter and French fries are enough to serve 4-6 portions

BUTTER:

300ml double cream

1 whole bulb of garlic

Sprig of thyme (finely chopped)

Large bunch of parsley (finely chopped - stalks removed)

FRENCH FRIES:

10 large russet potatoes (king edward or maris piper are good alternatives)

3 tbsp rosemary (finely chopped)

Zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp kosher / flaky salt

1 litre vegetable oil

STEAK:

1 ribeye steak

2 cloves of garlic (peeled)

Small sprig of thyme

Small knob of butter

METHOD

BUTTER:

1. Tip the double cream into a mixer and whisk until it separates. You will be left with the butter and buttermilk. Strain the mixture and squeeze out any excess buttermilk from the butter (a cheese cloth / muslin is perfect for this). Make sure to keep the leftover buttermilk - this is great for many other dishes (pancakes, fried chicken etc.).

2. Tip the butter into a bowl and add cold water. Using a spoon, gently beat the butter to wash out any excess buttermilk (the more thorough you are, the longer the butter will last). Discard the water and repeat until the water stays clear after washing. Remove the butter from the bowl and again squeeze out and excess moisture.

3. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic, cover in oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in tin foil. Roast in an oven of 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.

4. Once the garlic bulb has roasted, squeeze out the garlic and discard of the skin. Add the garlic to a bowl with the butter, parsley and thyme. Season with salt to taste. Mix until well combined.

5. Tip out the butter onto some clingfilm. Wrap into a tight cylinder and store in a fridge until ready to use.

STEAK AND FRIES:

1. For the fries, slice your potatoes into discs, 1cm thick. Stack the discs and cut into batons. Soak in cold water for at least one hour before using. When ready to use, remove from the water and dry thoroughly with some paper towel.

2. For the rosemary salt, add 3 tablespoons of kosher / flaky salt, 3 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary and lemon zest into a pestle and mortar. Crush until combined.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and bring to 150 degrees Celsius. In batches, cook the fries for 5 minutes. Remove the fries with a slotted spoon and place onto a cooling rack (place some paper towels underneath the rack)

4. Bring the steaks out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature. Cover in a high heat oil (peanut / groundnut oil) and season generously with salt.

5. To cook the steak, get a pan smoking hot, add the steak and immediately turn down to a medium - high heat. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes then flip. Add in the garlic, butter (or some of the homemade garlic butter) and thyme. When the butter starts to foam, baste the steak continuously for another 2-3 minutes. A good rule of thumb to achieve medium rare on a 3cm ribeye steak is to cook for a total of 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the pan and leave to rest whilst doing the final cook on the fries.

6. Now the steak is cooked and resting, reheat the vegetable oil to 190 degrees Celsius and cook the fries for a second time until they get a golden brown colour (roughly 5 minutes). Remove them from the oil and place back onto the cooling rack. Immediately coat the fries in the rosemary salt.

7. To serve, slice the steak at an angle, across the grain. Plate with some of the fries and a fresh green salad. Cut a nice chunk of the homemade butter, place onto of the steak and melt with a blowtorch. If you do not have a blow torch, melt some of the butter in a pan and drizzle over the top. Enjoy!