Steak Frites (and a Missoni manicure)

America's Test Kitchen is a pretty amazing company, and their tweets lately regarding job openings are making me want to move to Massachusetts and test-cook for a living.  For now, I will just real-cook at home in Portland using their pre-tested recipes.

Steak frites is another recipe, like the Ultimate Chili, I spotted in a Cooks Illustrated magazine and have wanted to cook for a long time, but I have been afraid of frying.  After my total success with fried pickles and milanesas, I decided to give frying potatoes a try.

I actually combined two recipes for this recipe, Cook's Country Char-Grilled Steaks and America's Test Kitchen Steak Frites.  I didn't grill the steak, I pan fried it, but I liked the recipe's claim that my steak would have restaurant quality crust.  It did!

Steak frites should really be made with rib-eyes, but I only had T-bones left, so I made a T-bone.  The French would put their noses up to this, but I think the T-bone worked JUST FINE with the meal.

Also, I gave myself a Missoni inspired manicure over the weekend. Adiel over at It's because I think too much recently did a Kate Spade inspired manicure.  As I was browsing through In Style's September issue, I saw the Kate Spade ad that inspired Adiel, and just a few pages later was the Missoni for Target ad.  I thought, brilliant!  A Missoni manicure!  So I texted Santina to tell her about my soon to be Missoni-ed finger nails, and she replies, Ya, Adiel's are rad.  Adiel's?  That bitch stole my idea by thinking of it AND executing it before I could!  You can see my manicure below in the potato cutting picture.

Since this is a cooking blog, I will get back to talking about food now.

Steaks:

1 Rib-eye steak

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

Frites:

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 large), scrubbed, sides squared off and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch fries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 quarts peanut oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Herb Butter: 
(This is for 4 steaks, so change the quantity depending on how many steaks you are making)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1 clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine salt and cornstarch. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub with salt mixture. Arrange on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and freeze until steaks are firm and dry to touch, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.


2. Square the sides off the potatoes and cut lengthwise into quarter-inch by quarter-inch fries, like this:

This picture is included purely to show you my Missoni inspired manicure. The ring I am wearing is from BCBG. I don't really wear rings when I cook, but the spice shelf above my sink and cutting island holds many rings that I have taken off so that I won't get them wet and dirty while I cook. Just before I took the picture, I chose this snake ring off the shelf to make it look like I am well accessorized while I cook.

The above is the "squared off" potato.  Squaring it off makes it easy to cut the potato into quarter-inch by quarter-inch fries.

3.  Rinse cut potatoes in large bowl under cold running water until water turns clear. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

4. Pour off water, spread potatoes onto kitchen towels, and thoroughly dry. Transfer potatoes to large bowl and toss with cornstarch until evenly coated. Transfer potatoes to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let rest until fine white coating forms, about 20 minutes.


5. Meanwhile, in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven fitted with clip-on-the-pot candy thermometer, heat peanut oil over medium heat to 325 degrees.


6. Add half of potatoes, a handful at a time, to hot oil and increase heat to high. Fry, stirring with mesh spider or large-hole slotted spoon, until potatoes start to turn from white to blond, 4 to 5 minutes. (Oil temperature will drop about 75 degrees during this frying.) Transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and let fries cool while cooking steaks, at least 10 minutes.

7. Make herb butter by combining all ingredients in a bowl.


8. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay steaks in pan, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them. Cover skillet with lid, if you have one, otherwise cover with foil.  Cook, not moving steaks, until well browned, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip steaks and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 120 degrees for rare to medium-rare, 3 to 7 minutes. Transfer steaks to large plate, top with butter, and tent loosely with foil; let rest while finishing fries.


9. Increase heat under Dutch oven to high and heat oil to 375 degrees. Add half of fries, a handful at a time, and fry until golden brown and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining fries. Season fries with salt and serve immediately with steaks.

As you can see in the picture at the top of the post, my fries were not beautifully puffed and golden brown like they are supposed to be.  They were pretty tasty though.  And the steak was perfection.

Bon appetit.

tartare de cerfs communs et frites

I love raw meat.  There you have it.  When I cook ground beef, you can be assured I will have at least a little pinch of the raw stuff before cooking it up for spaghetti sauce or forming it into patties for burgers.  So, steak tartare is one of the pleasures of my life.  I don't eat it much because it can be done so poorly.  The meat can be too sinewy, the restaurant can be too sketchy, or the waiter can use Ceasar salad fixings instead of steak tartare fixings (this happened at El Gaucho in Portland - a story for another time).  And it's not a common item on menus in Portland.


During my wanderings in Old Montreal on Saturday, I passed a few restaurants that served steak tartare.   It had been my plan to stay in the area for dinner that night, but the dark and cold set in around 5, and I couldn't find a way to while away enough time to stay for dinner.  I decided tonight would be a perfect night to venture away from the area around my hotel for dinner; I can't watch the Blazer game anywhere and there isn't any good TV on, so why not spend time walking and riding the Metro instead of wasting time in my hotel room?


I picked a restaurant in my Lonely Planet and headed there after work.  The Montreal Lonely Planet that I have was printed in 2004, so it's a little old.  I could not find the restaurant I was looking for on Rue Notre Dame Ouest, but I happened upon L'Assommoir, a place featuring numerous varieties of tartare on their menu outside the door.  I couldn't resist.


Upon entering, it was obvious this was a popular after work happy hour type place.  It was packed.  The hostess offered up any open seat, and as I walked down the long bar, I realized the only open seats were covered in coats and purses.  I found a solitary empty chair at the very end next to the place the waiters come pick up their drinks.   I didn't think my entree choice was up for much thought, but after seeing deer tartare on the menu, I was intrigued.  I called the bartender over, ordered a dirty gin martini and asked for his recommendation between the steak and deer tartare.  He gave a no-thought answer: deer tartare.  And so it was raw deer for me.


Apparently there was some issue in the kitchen, so my dinner was a bit delayed.  I was perfectly happy reading my book and drinking my martini, but apparently the bartender felt bad.  He brought me plantain chips and salsa on which to nibble while I waited.

I only got through two of these massive chips before my dinner arrived.

The pictures do not do this meal justice (though, I should be proud that I braved taking pictures at all - it is a bit humiliating using one's Blackberry with flash to take pictures of one's meal at a nice, crowded place).  The tartare was spectacular.  There is really no other way to describe it.  The meat was perfectly tender and not gamey like I expected out of deer.  It was mixed with toasted hazelnuts and nestled on a bed of parmesan shavings and, of course, topped with a quail egg.  It reminded me of Oregon.  Something about the combination of a game animal and hazelnuts.  


I broke the egg out of the shell before remembering to take the pic, unfortunately.


After the meal was finished and my place cleared, the bartender came over with three shots, called the other bartender over, and told me that I was going to do a shot with them so they could apologize for making me wait so long for my food.  Oh those Canadians and their hospitality.  What started as a bit of an awkward seat at the end of the bar ended in shots with the staff.


Bon appetit.

deux déjeuners à Montréal, parte deux

Gerard, my Iranian-quebecois cabbie, gave three restaurant suggestions while driving me from Elliott Trudeau to my hotel last Wednesday:  L'Entrecote St. Jean, Restaurant L'Express, and Schwartz's.  The first two are bistros, basically, and the last an 80 year old jewish deli specializing in smoked meat.  Not surprisingly, my mouth watered for Schwartz's.  I woke up late-ish on Sunday morning and decided that a walk around Parc Mount Royal before heading to Schwartz's for a late lunch was a good way to spend Sunday's daylight hours.

After getting lost on Mount Royal, which, by the way, is more of a hill than a mountain, and walking approximately 12 km, I was very hungry when I finally found Schwartz's.  To my dismay, despite it being 3 in the afternoon, there was quite a line.  Gerard had warned me of the ever present line, but I thought he meant there are always lines at regular mealtimes.  I waited for about 35 minutes before I lucked out with a single spot at the counter.  Sometimes, it's great to be alone.

The wait was totally worth it.  The smoked meat is tender and oh so flavorful, and the pickle ranks among the best pickles I have ever tasted.  I love pickles, and eat them a lot, so that is quite a statement coming from me.  (Quick side note:  Until I was about 13, pickles were just about the only "vegetable" I would eat.  Just solidifying my love of pickles for you readers. Quick side note #2:  Yes, the preceding makes me feel a bit like Snookie.)  I don't really know how to give more of an endorsement for Schwartz's.  It was very very very good.

Bon appetit.