Pan Fry Steak with Chips and Pepper Sauce
Donal's Notes
A classic steak dinner done right is a thing of beauty. Follow this foolproof method for your next steak night.
For the chips
For the peppercorn sauce
Instructions
Remove the steak from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Peel the Maris piper potatoes and cut into 1cm chips.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan - it should be deep enough to cover the chips – and heat on high. If you own a thermometer bring the temperature of the oil to about 135C, if you don’t own one, add a raw chip or cube of bread to the oil. As it starts to float and fry, the temperature should be perfect.
Use a large metal spoon or spider to gently lower a batch of chips into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes until they have a light crust – they don’t want to be brown yet. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside until completely cold.
Next, make the peppercorn sauce. Finely chop the shallots.
Using a pestle and mortar lightly crush the black peppercorns and the green peppercorns.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots, stir to coat and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the peppercorns and cook for another couple of minutes to toast slightly. Pour in the brandy and red wine, then reduce by half. Stir through the hot water and cook at a steady simmer for 5 minutes.
Finally, turn the heat down to low and stir in the cream. Don’t allow the mixture to boil and cook to thicken slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Heat a frying pan or griddle over a high heat. Rub the steak with olive oil and season generously on one side.
Once the pan is really hot, add the steak seasoned side down. Season the other side as it cooks. For a rare steak, cook for roughly 2½-3 minutes on each side, moving the steak only to turn it over. Remove from the pan and allow the steak to rest on a board for 5-8 minutes.
Once the steak is resting, fry the chips for a second time. Again, bring the oil up to temperature and check the heat with a chip, piece of bread or thermometer. It needs to be hot, about 145C. Cook the chips in two batches, if needed, so as not to decrease the temperature of the oil. Lower the once-cooked chips into the oil using a metal spoon or spider and fry for approximately 5 minutes.
Remove the chips from the fryer and empty into a bowl, lined with kitchen paper. Shake around a little before removing the paper and sprinkling with sea salt.
