Steak Frites

By Dorie Greenspan

Published July 24, 2026

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
50 min
Rating
5(7)
Comments
Read comments

You get a particular kind of pleasure (and a little puff of pride) when you make something at home that you’d usually order in a restaurant. Extra points if the dish is splurgy and the homecooked one is reasonable, like this version of steak frites. Yes, you’ve got to buy a steak, but a good steak at the market costs a fraction of what you’d pay eating out. And the fries? They’re from a sack of plank-cut frozen potatoes. Call it a cheat, but they’re what lots of French home cooks use. When they’re tossed with oil, set on a rack, baked on high and then higher heat and served finger-singeing hot, they’re good enough to remind you of your favorite bistro. Tally up the difference between having this at a steakhouse versus at home and you can put some of the savings toward a delicious bottle of wine.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

For the butter

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • ½ small shallot, minced

  • 1 tablespoon minced parsley or tarragon

  • 1 lemon

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fries

  • 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

  • 14 to 16 ounces steak-cut frozen fries

For the steak

  • 1 (1- to 1½-inch-thick) bone-in or boneless ribeye or porterhouse steak, about 1 ½ pounds, at room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons oil, such as canola

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

8 grams carbs; 342 milligrams cholesterol; 1439 calories; 52 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams saturated fat; 111 grams fat; 4 grams trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 1353 milligrams sodium; 99 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and place a cooling rack over it.

  2. Step 2

    As soon as you turn on the oven, start the butter. Working in a small bowl, mash the butter with the shallot and parsley. Grate the zest from half the lemon over the butter, cut the lemon in half and add a squirt of juice and blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mold the mixture into a log about 2 inches long, wrap in plastic or foil and freeze until needed. 

  3. Step 3

    To make the fries: Put the oil in a medium bowl, add the frozen fries and toss to coat. Arrange the fries on the rack, leaving some room between them. Bake for 10 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Continue baking until the fries are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. The pipsqueaks might get dark, but the chubby planks will be just right. Taste one, then sprinkle the batch sparingly with salt, if you think it’s needed (frozen fries are often pre-seasoned).

  4. Step 4

    When you turn the oven heat up to 450, start making the steak: Put a heavy skillet – cast iron is great here – over high heat. Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Standing away from the stove, pour the oil into the pan, swirl it around and slip in the steak. (Warning: The oil will spatter.) Cook the steak for 3 minutes, flip it over and cook for 2 minutes more if you want a rare steak. Cook a minute or two more if you like your beef more well-done. Carefully transfer the steak to a warm serving platter, tent loosely with foil and let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes, or until the fries are cooked.

  5. Step 5

    When you’re ready to serve, pull the butter out of the freezer, cut it into four rounds and place them on the steak.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
7 user ratings
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Comments

S

Your steak instructions are not nearly enough for the average person to successfully cook a thick expensive steak without ruining it. 5 or 6 minutes in a ripping hot cast iron pan will not give you a rare 1.5inch steak. It will give you a RAW 1.5 inch steak. One size does NOT fit all if you are talking about cooking a steak on kitchens which variable equipment.

Immanuel Kant

Frozen, plank-cut potatoes??? Sacrilege. They don't even look good in the photo. My frites start with peeling potatoes (preferably, Russets), then slicing them thinly and deep-frying them. Sometimes, a cold-water soak is in order before frying; double-frying may also help with crispness. Depends on the potatoes. Shaking my head . . .

Michael

TRADITIONALLY in France, steak frites was a working class bistro meal, made with onglet/hanger or bavette/flank steak. I can live (reluctantly) with the frozen frites, but not with the fancier cut of beef.

Chaz.

The cast-iron pan very hot for the steak to cook on will create so much smoke that you better have an exhaust fan that does not recycle into your living space!

Greco-Belgian

After the steak is done, throw some diced shallot in the pan for a minute or two, and then degrease the pan with a bit of red wine. Pour the mixture over the meat. Voila!

S

Your steak instructions are not nearly enough for the average person to successfully cook a thick expensive steak without ruining it. 5 or 6 minutes in a ripping hot cast iron pan will not give you a rare 1.5inch steak. It will give you a RAW 1.5 inch steak. One size does NOT fit all if you are talking about cooking a steak on kitchens which variable equipment.

Bill

@ Although somewhat expensive a home sous vide and a good instant read thermometer like a Thermopen will give you exactly the degree of doneness you want. Hard to do otherwise for the average home cook

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