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Steak, Chips and Peppercorn Sauce

Introduction & method

Juicy steak, crispy chips, creamy sauce with a great big whack of pepper to it. It's a classic combination and quick and easy to make.

 Steak, Chips and Peppercorn Sauce Recipe

Chips


Peel your potato and cut into sticks about 12mm (half an inch) thick and deep. Soak them in cold water until you are ready to use them, but at least 10 minutes. Heat a couple of inches of oil in a frying pan to 130° C (266° F) - this is medium-low. Pat your potato sticks dry and add them to the fat. They should sizzle gently. Cook for 5-10 minutes until they feel a bit soft and have a pale golden colour. Drain them and keep them warm - in a warm kitchen or low oven -  while you cook the steaks.

Steaks


It is incredibly easy to overcook steaks - you need to pay close attention to make sure you don't do this. The choice of steak is entirely up to you, but I prefer ribeye. Try to get steaks that have plenty of fat on them, and make sure the meat is at room temperature before you cook it. Heat a cast-iron griddle pan until it is smoking. Rub your steaks  all over with olive or rapeseed (canola) oil and place them in the pan. These are the timings and temperatures for different levels of doneness for 2cm (just under an inch) thick steaks. Thicker cuts will take longer:

Blue

 - about 1 min each side

Rare 

- about 1½ mins each side - 50 to 55° C (120 to 130° F)

Medium rare

 - about 2 mins each side - 55 to 57° C  (130 to 135° F)

Medium 

- about 2¼ mins each side - 60 to 65° C (140 to 150° F)

When the first side is cooked, sprinkle liberally with salt and turn it over. When both sides are cooked, put the steaks on a warm plate tented in foil to rest for 10 minutes. Resting is important because it allows the meat to re-absorb the juices and stops your steak from looking like it's bleeding to death when you put it on the plate.

Make the Peppercorn Sauce


Crush the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle - you just want to crack them open, not grind them to dust. Finely chop your onion/shallot/spring onions and sauté them in butter on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until they are a bit golden round the edges. Add the stock and cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat down low, add the cream, and simmer gently for a few more minutes. The sauce will get thicker the longer it cooks, so stop cooking when it reaches the thickness you want.

Finish the Chips


Turn the heat on the frying pan to medium high and carefully add the chips. Cook for a minute or two until golden and crispy. Drain, pat dry, and serve with the steak and the sauce.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Steak, Chips and Peppercorn Sauce on YouTube.

 
You might also like these recipes:

Chicken Kiev

Chicken Livers with Mushrooms

Burger Bombe

Ingredients & Info


MEAT
 2 of your favourite beef steaks
 pinch of salt
CHIPS
 1 large potato
 1 litre vegetable oil
SAUCE
 125 ml beef stock
 125 ml double (heavy) cream
 1 small onion or shallot
 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns
 a knob of butter

PLUS

You could use the bulb ends of 3-4 spring onions (scallions) instead of onion or shallot.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Serves 2 
Prep time: 10 minutes.
Resting time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Total time: 25 minutes.