Leafing through the September 2009 issue of the Williams-Sonoma catalog, I was inspired to make my very own French bistro meal. My favorite has always been biftek et pommes frites, and as I had never before used my deep fryer (a wedding gift from 5 years ago), I figured I would give it a try. My steak au poivre recipe was stolen from Cooks Illustrated (their Steak au Poivre with Brandied Cream Sauce, minus the brandied cream sauce), and I made my own herbed butter thanks to my mini herb garden.
Ingredients:
- 4 strip steaks or rib eyes, approximately 1-1.5" thick
- Kosher salt, for seasoning
- 1 tbsp. black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. chopped herbs (your choice; I used chives, thyme and rosemary since I had it in my garden)
Directions:
For the herbed butter: in a bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, zest, salt and herbs until well mixed. Scoop into a small ramekin and smooth the top using a spatula. To freeze leftovers, place on a piece of waxed paper and roll into a cylinder. Pinch and twist the ends and place in the freezer, up to three months.
For the steaks: Season steaks on both sides with salt. Gently press crushed peppercorns into one side of each steak, coating that side completely. Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Place each steak unpeppered side down on the skillet and cook steaks without moving until well-browned, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip the steaks over onto the peppered side and cook 3 minutes longer for rare, 4 minutes for medium-rare or 5 minutes for medium (add a minute to each if using a 1" or thicker bone-in rib-eye). Transfer to a large plate, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes.
Serve with herbed butter and pommes frites or gratin.
Serves 4
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