Steak Mock Frites

Name: Steak Mock Frites
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: american, french
Ingredients: Kosher salt; 8-12 new, baby or C-grade potatoes; 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, minced; 1 small shallot, peeled and minced; 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; Splash Champagne or white-wine vinegar; 2 pounds beef steak, like boneless rib-eye, approximately 1 inch thick; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola.

By Sam Sifton

Updated Nov. 7, 2022

Steak Mock Frites — Sarah Anne Ward for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Maeve Sheridan.

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(1,464)
Comments: Read comments

There is no better, more reliable restaurant dish than steak frites. It is perhaps America's favorite French food, a cheeseburger deluxe recast for date nights, celebrations, feasts. Few make the dish at home, though: The frites are too labor-intensive for all but the most project-oriented cooks. Here, then, is a recipe to fake out the fries, one that will take even a relatively neophyte home cook little more than an hour to make. The aim is great steak, a delicious sauce of maître d'hôtel butter, and potatoes with a terrific quality of French fry-ness, supreme crispness, with soft and creamy flesh within. (Here's a video to get you started on how to cook the perfect steak at home.)

Featured in: Freedom From Fries

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Mock Frites

Kosher salt
8-12 new, baby or C-grade potatoes
3tablespoons neutral oil, like canola

For the Maître D’hôtel Butter

6tablespoons unsalted butter
2teaspoons thyme leaves, minced
1small shallot, peeled and minced
1teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Splash Champagne or white-wine vinegar

For the Steak

2pounds beef steak, like boneless rib-eye, approximately 1 inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tablespoon neutral oil, like canola.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 450. Set a large pot filled with salted water on the stove. Add potatoes, turn heat to high and cook, gently boiling, until they are softened, approximately 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, and dry them well.
Step 2
Grease a sheet pan with half the oil, and put the potatoes on the pan. Using a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass, gently smash each potato, pressing it down to a thickness of less than an inch. Drizzle the rest of the oil over the smashed potatoes, place on top rack in the oven and allow to roast until the exteriors are golden and crunchy, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Step 3
Make the maître d’hôtel butter. Put the butter on a cutting board and, using a fork, cut the other ingredients into it until the butter is creamy and smooth. Scrape the butter together with a chef’s knife, and form it into a rough log. If making it ahead of time, you can roll it tight in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 4
As the potatoes finish crisping, make the steaks. Set a heavy-bottomed skillet — or 2 if your steaks are large and you are cooking them in 4 pieces — over high heat, and let it sit for a few minutes. Shower the steaks with an aggressive amount of salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan, and shake to distribute. It will almost immediately begin to smoke. Place the steaks in the pan, and allow to sear, unattended, for 4 minutes, until they have developed a serious crust. Turn the steaks over, and cook for an additional 3 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Remove steaks to a warm platter to rest. Top each steak with a tablespoon of the butter.
Step 5
Remove the potatoes from the oven, and season them with salt and a grind of pepper. Place 2 or 3 crunchy potatoes on each plate, then nestle a steak up beside them. Top each steak with pats of the remaining butter.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,464 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Bri7 years ago

Steam the baby potatoes instead of boiling them. Less chance of them splitting and getting water logged, and it eliminates the need to dry the potatoes. Plus, you can steam them and flatten them ahead of time, and crisp them later. I prefer to do the crimping in olive oil and some fresh rosemary (with a nice crunchy Maldon salt) but up to you.

Catherine DiNardo7 years ago

Made the potatoes on a preheated cast iron skillet and they came out great. Instead of putting extra oil on top, I turned them over when the bottoms were brown. Total time took about 30 minutes. They were wonderfully crispy and looked just as they do in the photo.

Joan Danzansky7 years ago

'Mock Frites' is a really cute name, but let's just call them 'smashed potatoes!' And, to make them really tasty, add some butter to the oil, a little balsamic vinegar and some garlic and herbs!

Elaine4 months ago

Used this recipe for the smashed potatoes and they were delicious! Followed another person’s suggestion to leave potatoes in the hot oven another 15 minutes or so after turning the oven off. They developed a crunchy crispiness that was perfect!

Ant'ney7 months ago

In my house, these mock frites are called "smashers" and are in near-constant rotation. No steak required, but it is a nice pairing.

Nan on Cape Cod1 year ago

Made exactly as the recipe said, except my steaks were beef tenderloin, about 1 1/2 inch thick each. I resisted the urge to tweak (butter on the potatoes? Olive oil instead of neutral oil?) and everyone raved about the results. Winner!

Private comments are only visible to you.