Steak Frites

How to make it

1. Stir the soft butter together with the finely chopped parsley, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl, and grind pepper over the top. Work it with a fork for 5 minutes, until the butter is evenly pale green with no white streaks.
2. Scrape the parsley butter out onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll it into a firm log about 4 cm in diameter. Put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until it's cold all the way through and can be cut into whole slices without crumbling. ⏱ 30 min · passive
3. Take the entrecôtes out of the refrigerator and pat them completely dry on both sides with paper towels. Let them stand covered at room temperature for 30 minutes, until they no longer feel cold to the touch — a cold center produces a wide gray band during searing. ⏱ 30 min · passive
   Chef's tip Surface moisture must evaporate before browning begins, so a wet steak steams in its own liquid. Dry meat hits the pan and crackles at once instead of hissing wetly.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into batons about 1 cm thick, so they finish cooking at the same time. Rinse the batons in cold water until the water runs clear. Pat them thoroughly dry in a clean kitchen towel, since water in the oil will make it boil up violently. ⏱ 15 min
   Chef's tip Rinsing washes off loose surface starch that would otherwise glue batons together and burn in the oil. Keep going until the water in the bowl loses its milky cloud.
5. Pour the peanut oil for deep-frying into a heavy-bottomed pot so it comes no more than halfway up the side, and heat it to 150°C. This takes about 10 minutes. Stay by the pot while it heats, and wait until the thermometer holds steady before adding the potatoes. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Half-full is the safety margin: wet potatoes hitting hot oil throw up a wave of foam that can crest the rim. Also expect the temperature to drop 15-20°C when a batch goes in, which is why batches matter.
6. Fry the potato batons in two batches for 6-8 minutes per batch, until they're tender all the way through but still completely pale. A baton should mash flat between two fingers without resistance. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a rack. ⏱ 10 min–15 min
   Chef's tip 150°C is low enough for the potato to cook through without the surface setting. Any hotter and the crust closes up, leaving the baton mealy and raw in the middle despite a handsome color.
7. Let the parfried batons cool on the rack for 20 minutes, until they're only just warm and the surface has dried out — it's this cooling that produces the crisp shell during the second frying. ⏱ 20 min · passive
8. Season the entrecôtes generously with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides just before searing. Heat the peanut oil for the steaks in a large skillet over high heat for 2 minutes, until the oil is thin and just starting to smoke.
   Chef's tip Use a heavy cast-iron or thick-bottomed steel skillet — it holds its heat when the meat hits the pan. A lightweight pan loses temperature, and the steaks start to steam in their own juices.
9. Sear the dried steaks in two batches for 3 minutes on each side, and don't move the steaks around while they cook. They're done when the crust is deep brown all the way around and the meat springs back lightly when pressed with a finger — whole cuts of beef can be served pink, at about 55°C in the center. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Finger-spring is a rough guide at best on a 2.5 cm cut; an instant-read thermometer pulled at around 52°C lands near 55°C after resting, as the centre keeps climbing off the heat.
10. Transfer the steaks to a rack or a warm platter and let them rest for 5 minutes, until the surface has stopped sizzling. The juices draw back into the meat instead of running out onto the plate. ⏱ 5 min · passive
11. Heat the frying oil back up to 190°C over about 3 minutes while the steaks rest. Wait until the thermometer holds steady, or the fries will soak up oil instead of crisping.
12. Fry the batons again in two batches for 2-3 minutes per batch, until they're deep golden and rattle dry against the slotted spoon. Lift them into a bowl lined with paper towels and toss them immediately with fine sea salt while they're still steaming, since the salt only sticks to hot fries.
13. Place an entrecôte on each dinner plate and set a tall pile of fries alongside. Lay a slice of the cold parsley butter on top of the hot meat, so it melts down over the crust and pools like a sauce on the plate. Serve immediately, while the fries are still crisp.