Steak frites

Taste and texture

Steak frites pairs cooked beefsteak with fried potatoes. Frites means fries, and the combination is associated with French and Belgian brasseries. The meat and potatoes are cooked separately and brought together as a meal. Their browned and crisp surfaces alternate, with sauce or butter connecting the two.

Several cuts can be used. Ribeye, also called entrecôte, includes fat within the meat; bavette is a flat cut with a pronounced grain. Onglet is another option known for beefy flavour and texture. Good Food's steak frites recipe uses sirloin. The dish name describes steak with fries rather than one mandatory cut.

The steak develops a browned surface in a hot pan and is finished to the desired doneness. Good Food adds butter and thyme at the end and spoons the fat over the meat. This aromatic fat coats the roasted surface, while the centre retains texture and moisture according to the cut and cooking.

Potatoes are cut lengthways and fried. Thin frites emphasise their surface; thicker chips offer more fluffy interior. Good Food begins its example in cold oil, heating the potatoes through before crisping their exterior. Other fry methods use two frying stages. Cooking the centre and crisping the outside establish the potato's contrasting textures.

Sauces extend the flavours attached to meat and potatoes. Examples include a pan reduction, peppercorn sauce and béarnaise. Béarnaise combines egg yolk and butter with vinegar and tarragon. Good Food's peppercorn version uses shallots, green peppercorns, stock, cream and mustard. These bring different combinations of herbal aroma, pepper and creaminess.

A bite combines the savoury browned surface with the meat inside. Ribeye adds softness from intramuscular fat, while a strongly grained cut such as bavette makes slicing direction relevant. Cut descriptions help when choosing for tenderness: similar thickness does not mean identical muscle structure or fat distribution.

Bavette is commonly sliced across its grain. Great British Chefs explains that shortening the long fibres makes it easier to chew, which is why it may arrive thinly sliced. When cutting it yourself, divide across the visible grain rather than pulling off long strips along it.

Fries contribute crisp exteriors and fluffy centres alongside the steak's resilient meat. Those touching juices or sauce become moister, while fries on a dry part of the plate can retain more crunch. Try some with sauce and some plain rather than immediately combining the entire plate.

Béarnaise has a smooth, rich butter base with tarragon fragrance and vinegar acidity. Good Food gradually blends melted butter into the yolks and finishes with tarragon leaves. Egg yolk and liquid create a sauce that coats the meat differently from a simple melting piece of butter. Start with a little if the herb is unfamiliar.

Green peppercorn sauce combines pepper aroma with stock and cream. Good Food warms it in the steak pan, incorporating browned deposits and resting juices. Leaves such as the accompanying watercress provide a fresh bite among meat and cream. Sauce and salad both contribute to the meal.

How to order it in Korea

1. Look for “steak frites” on the menu, then check that the fries come with it.
2. Ask whether you can choose the doneness and which sauce comes with it. The French style may be served at the less-cooked “saignant” doneness.