Steak Frites with Soy-Butter Pan Sauce and Double-Fried Shichimi Fries

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A bistro classic run through a Tokyo steakhouse: a thick pan-seared strip steak basted with butter, garlic and ginger, rested properly, then sliced over a glossy sake–soy–mirin pan sauce. The fries are double-fried for a shell that stays crisp all the way to the last bite and tossed with shichimi togarashi salt. There's an oven-fry shortcut in the tips for weeknights.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb russet potatoes (about 2 large)
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 6 cups peanut or canola oil, for frying
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp shichimi togarashi
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens

• 2 boneless New York strip steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick (about 12 oz each)
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 0.5 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1.5 tsp prepared wasabi
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Pull the steaks from the fridge, pat them very dry, and season all over with the kosher salt and pepper. Set them on a rack over a plate and leave at room temperature for 45 minutes while you handle the potatoes — a dry, tempered surface is what gives you a hard crust without overcooking the interior.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into batons about 3/8 inch thick. Rinse under cold water until the water runs clear, then cover with cold water and let them soak 20 minutes to pull out surface starch.
3. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt. Drain the potatoes, add them to the boiling water, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until a baton just bends but does not break. Drain gently and spread on a towel-lined sheet pan to dry for 10 minutes. The vinegar keeps them from falling apart.
4. Heat the frying oil in a heavy 5-quart pot to 325°F (use a thermometer; oil should come no more than a third up the sides). Fry the potatoes in two batches for 4 to 5 minutes each, until pale and limp with a faint skin. Lift out onto a rack-lined sheet pan and let them cool at least 20 minutes — this rest is what makes the second fry shatter-crisp. You can hold them here up to 2 hours, or refrigerate up to a day.
5. If making the wasabi cream, stir together the mayonnaise, wasabi and lemon juice and refrigerate.
6. Cook the steaks while the fries rest. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high for 4 minutes, until a drop of water skitters. Add the neutral oil, then lay in the steaks. Sear undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes until a deep brown crust forms, flip, and sear 3 minutes more.
7. Add the 2 tablespoons butter, garlic, ginger and thyme to the skillet. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, flipping once. Pull the steaks at 125°F for medium-rare or 133°F for medium, checking with an instant-read thermometer in the center. Transfer to a cutting board or warm plate and rest 8 to 10 minutes, loosely tented.
8. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet and discard the aromatics. Return the pan to medium heat, add the shallot, and cook 45 seconds. Add the sake and mirin, scraping up the browned bits, and reduce by half, about 90 seconds. Add the soy sauce and rice vinegar and simmer 1 minute.
9. Kill the heat, let the pan cool for 15 seconds, then swirl in the cold butter a cube at a time until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. Whisk in any juices from the resting board and stir in the sesame seeds. Keep warm off heat — do not let it boil again or it will break.
10. Bring the frying oil back up to 375°F. Fry the blanched potatoes in two batches for 2 to 3 minutes each, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Drain on a rack, then toss immediately in a bowl with the fine sea salt, shichimi togarashi and scallion greens.
11. Slice the steaks against the grain into 1/2-inch strips. Spoon the soy-butter sauce onto warm plates, fan the steak over it, pile the fries alongside, and serve with the wasabi cream for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem