Steak frites is one of those dishes that looks like a restaurant order and cooks like a home one. A properly seared steak, a pile of crispy chips, and a peppercorn sauce built in the same pan — it's the kind of meal that justifies owning a cast iron skillet.
The sauce is sauce au poivre, a French classic. The method here is straightforward: deglaze the steak pan, build the sauce in stages, finish with cream. The result is rich, peppery, and exactly what it should be.
Ingredients
- Steak
- 2 Ribeye steaks, 1 inch thick, see notes
- Fine sea salt, to season
- Neutral oil, for searing
- Chips
- 700 g Maris Piper potatoes
- 1500 g Neutral deep frying oil
- Peppercorn sauce
- 4 g Black pepper, freshly ground
- 15 g Butter
- 1 Shallots, finely diced
- 1 cloves Garlic, minced
- 75 ml Brandy
- 150 ml Beef stock, reduced, see notes
- 30 g Double cream
- 20 g Green peppercorns in brine, optional
- 5 g Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 5 g Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Equipment
- Cast-iron skillet
- Large heavy casserole or deep fryer
- Chef's press
- Meat thermometer
- Wire rack
- Oil thermometer
Season the steaks generously on all sides with fine sea salt. Place uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight.
Before anything goes on the heat, get everything ready. Dice the shallots, mince the garlic, measure the brandy, beef stock, and double cream into separate containers, weigh the butter, chop the flat-leaf parsley. Get the neutral oil in the casserole ready for frying. See mise en place — the sauce comes together quickly once the steak is rested and there is no time to stop mid-cook.
Cut the Maris Piper potatoes into 1cm x 1cm chips, leaving the skin on. Rinse in a colander under cold water until the water runs clear, then transfer to a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until the outside looks slightly grainy and the chips are just starting to soften — they should hold their shape but feel slightly tender when pressed.
Drain the chips and spread in a single layer on a wire rack. Leave to steam dry for at least 10 minutes — you want as much surface moisture gone as possible before they go near the oil.
Fill the casserole with neutral oil 8–10cm deep and bring slowly to 180°C (355°F) — use a thermometer. At the same time, place the cast-iron skillet over high heat and leave it for at least 3–4 minutes until smoking.
Add a drizzle of neutral oil to the smoking skillet. Place the ribeye steaks in the pan and immediately put the chef’s press on top. Sear without moving for 2–3 minutes until deeply browned, then flip and repeat on the other side. Use a meat thermometer to cook to your target temperature — see the temperature guide in the pro tip. For a crust on the fat cap, hold the steak on its side with tongs for 30–60 seconds. See how to sear properly for the full technique.
Transfer the steaks to a tray and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes. Save any resting juices — they go into the sauce.
Once the oil is at 180°C (355°F), lower the chips in carefully using a spider or slotted spoon. Don’t overcrowd — fry in batches if needed. Cook until golden and crispy, around 4–6 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and season immediately with fine sea salt.
Remove the cast-iron skillet from the heat and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Return to a medium heat. Add the ground black pepper and toast for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the butter. Once foaming, add the shallots and cook gently until softened but not coloured — around 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one minute.
Pour in the brandy and let it reduce by half, scraping up any fond from the base of the pan as you go.
Pour in the beef stock and the resting juices from the steaks. Bring to a simmer and reduce until well thickened — the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you run your finger through it.
Add the double cream and stir to combine. Taste and season with fine sea salt, then finish with a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice, the green peppercorns in brine if using, and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. The lemon should be barely detectable — it’s there to lift the richness, not to taste of lemon.
Slice the rested ribeye steaks and arrange on warmed plates. Spoon the peppercorn sauce generously over and alongside. Pile the chips next to the steak and serve immediately.
Notes & Substitutions
Steak choice: Ribeye is the first choice — well-marbled, with fat that melts into the meat during cooking and bastes it from the inside. Look for good marbling and dry-aged beef where possible. A steak under an inch thick will overcook before it colours properly. Lean, thin, vacuum-packed supermarket steaks are a false economy at any price point — buy better and buy less often if needed.
Beef stock: Use the best you can find. A good reduced beef stock, demi-glace, or bone broth will give the sauce real body and depth. Standard supermarket stock will still work but will need more careful reducing to reach the right consistency. Making your own is worth it if you have the time — see the beef stock recipe.
Green peppercorns: Fresh green peppercorns are mild, fruity, and less sharp than dried or brined ones. They’re optional but worth sourcing — they add a different dimension to the pepper flavour in the finished sauce. Some larger supermarkets stock them fresh; Asian grocers are a reliable source. Brined ones will still work but are intense — use sparingly.
Asparagus: Goes well alongside — pan-fry in butter for 3–4 minutes until just tender and lightly coloured.
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Steak Frites with Peppercorn Sauce
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 2 Ribeye steaks (1 inch thick, see notes)
- Fine sea salt (to season)
- Neutral oil (for searing)
- 700 g Maris Piper potatoes
- 1500 g Neutral deep frying oil
- 4 g Black pepper (freshly ground)
- 15 g Butter
- 1 Shallots (finely diced)
- 1 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 75 ml Brandy
- 150 ml Beef stock (reduced, see notes)
- 30 g Double cream
- 20 g Green peppercorns in brine (optional)
- 5 g Fresh lemon juice (to taste)
- 5 g Flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
Equipment
- Cast-iron skillet
- Large heavy casserole or deep fryer
- Chef's press
- Meat thermometer
- Wire rack
- Oil thermometer
Method
Season the steaks (night before)
2 Ribeye steaks · Fine sea salt
Season the steaks generously on all sides with fine sea salt. Place uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight.
If you forget, season immediately before cooking — not five minutes before, not thirty. Salt draws moisture to the surface, and surface moisture is the enemy of a good sear.
Either overnight or right before the pan, nothing in between.
Mise en place
1 Shallots · 1 cloves Garlic · 75 ml Brandy · 150 ml Beef stock · 30 g Double cream
Before anything goes on the heat, get everything ready. Dice the shallots, mince the garlic, measure the brandy, beef stock, and double cream into separate containers, weigh the butter, chop the flat-leaf parsley. Get the neutral oil in the casserole ready for frying. See mise en place — the sauce comes together quickly once the steak is rested and there is no time to stop mid-cook.
Prep and blanch the chips
700 g Maris Piper potatoes
Cut the Maris Piper potatoes into 1cm x 1cm chips, leaving the skin on. Rinse in a colander under cold water until the water runs clear, then transfer to a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until the outside looks slightly grainy and the chips are just starting to soften — they should hold their shape but feel slightly tender when pressed.
Don’t over-blanch. If the chips are fully soft before they hit the fryer, they’ll fall apart. You want them cooked through but still holding together — the fryer finishes the job.
Steam dry the chips
Drain the chips and spread in a single layer on a wire rack. Leave to steam dry for at least 10 minutes — you want as much surface moisture gone as possible before they go near the oil.
Get the pan and oil up to temperature
1500 g Neutral deep frying oil
Fill the casserole with neutral oil 8–10cm deep and bring slowly to 180°C (355°F) — use a thermometer. At the same time, place the cast-iron skillet over high heat and leave it for at least 3–4 minutes until smoking.
Sear the steaks
Neutral oil
Add a drizzle of neutral oil to the smoking skillet. Place the ribeye steaks in the pan and immediately put the chef’s press on top. Sear without moving for 2–3 minutes until deeply browned, then flip and repeat on the other side. Use a meat thermometer to cook to your target temperature — see the temperature guide in the pro tip. For a crust on the fat cap, hold the steak on its side with tongs for 30–60 seconds. See how to sear properly for the full technique.
Internal temperature guide (remove from heat at these temperatures — carryover cooking will raise them further during resting):
- Rare: 46–49°C (115–120°F)
- Medium-rare: 52–54°C (126–130°F)
- Medium: 57–60°C (135–140°F)
- Medium-well: 63–65°C (145–149°F)
For a full guide to cooking steak to temperature, see How to Cook Steak Properly.
If scaling this recipe up, cook steaks in batches — crowding the pan drops the temperature and the steaks will steam rather than sear. Two steaks per pan maximum.
Rest the steaks
Transfer the steaks to a tray and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes. Save any resting juices — they go into the sauce.
Fry the chips
Once the oil is at 180°C (355°F), lower the chips in carefully using a spider or slotted spoon. Don’t overcrowd — fry in batches if needed. Cook until golden and crispy, around 4–6 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and season immediately with fine sea salt.
Overcrowding the fryer drops the oil temperature sharply, and the chips steam in each other’s moisture rather than frying. If scaling this recipe up, fry in smaller batches and keep the first batch warm in a low oven while the second cooks.
Build the sauce base
4 g Black pepper · 15 g Butter
Remove the cast-iron skillet from the heat and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Return to a medium heat. Add the ground black pepper and toast for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the butter. Once foaming, add the shallots and cook gently until softened but not coloured — around 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one minute.
Making this sauce in the cast-iron skillet is intentional — the fond left from searing the steaks dissolves into the sauce and adds significant depth. On a well-seasoned pan this causes no issues. If your pan is new or lightly seasoned, or you want more precise temperature control, deglaze the cast iron with the brandy to lift the fond, then pour everything into a stainless pan to finish. See how to care for a cast-iron skillet for seasoning guidance.
Deglaze with brandy
Pour in the brandy and let it reduce by half, scraping up any fond from the base of the pan as you go.
If your kitchen setup allows for it, you can flambe the brandy at this stage — tilt the pan slightly to catch the gas flame, or use a long lighter. It makes no difference to the final flavour of the sauce, but it does look dramatic. If in doubt, skip it and just reduce.
Add stock and reduce
Pour in the beef stock and the resting juices from the steaks. Bring to a simmer and reduce until well thickened — the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you run your finger through it.
The quality of your stock matters here. A good reduced beef stock or demi-glace will give you a sauce with real body. A thin supermarket stock will struggle to reduce to the right consistency without tasting flat. See the notes for stock guidance.
Finish the sauce
20 g Green peppercorns in brine · 5 g Fresh lemon juice · 5 g Flat-leaf parsley
Add the double cream and stir to combine. Taste and season with fine sea salt, then finish with a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice, the green peppercorns in brine if using, and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. The lemon should be barely detectable — it’s there to lift the richness, not to taste of lemon.
On the herbs: flat-leaf parsley is the default here — neutral, fresh, lets the pepper lead. Tarragon is the classic French choice and works beautifully in small amounts, but its anise note is strong and can overpower the sauce if you’re heavy-handed. If you use tarragon, use half the amount you think you need and taste before adding more.
Slice and serve
Slice the rested ribeye steaks and arrange on warmed plates. Spoon the peppercorn sauce generously over and alongside. Pile the chips next to the steak and serve immediately.
Warm your plates — steak frites cools fast and a cold plate kills it within a minute of serving. A brief blast in a low oven is all it takes.
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