Steak Frites v1

First attempt - not bad...


This was the first time I'd ever deep fried anything. But, as a dedicated fries aficionado I thought it was best to prove I could make my own if I was going to continue deriding the quality of fries at bars and restaurants around town.


Here's how I did it. Note: this fed about 10 people and cost me about $20.

Prep the night before 
(you could do this on dinner night but there will already be a lot to concentrate on so get ahead)


6 Russet Potatoes 
* peel, and slice into evenly sized fries (mine were approx 1cm square)
* cover them in cold water with 3-4 tablespoons of white vinegar and refrigerate



Flank steak - I cooked about 2kg of steak, a large flank steak about 10cm thick and a smaller one about 2cm thick (I was experimenting)
* Mix a marinade of crushed garlic, peanut oil, black peppercorns, salt, soy sauce and honey
* Put the steak and marinade in a ziplock bag and refrigerate


Not so hard so far... 


Dinner time - 


* Take out your meat so it warms to room temperature while you get started frying
* Drain and dry the fries (dry them as much as possible, it makes a big difference)
* Heat a wok with 6 cups of peanut oil. I cheated and didn't use a thermometer, urban legend has it that if you dip a wooden spoon or chopstick in the oil and tiny bubbles form all around the stick, it's go time
* Fry in small batches for approx 30-50secs, fries should come out blonde. Drain on a paper towel. You're going to fry them again so put them in the oven at 100 celsius
* Salt and pepper the outside of the steak and put it on a hot grill and cook medium rare. Rest the steak for 10minutes while you finish the fries
* Same as before but fry until they are golden brown this time and salt and pepper them immediately after they come out of the oil
* Slice the steak and serve everything while it's hot! preferably with horseradish sauce (mix prepared horseradish with mayonnaise or sourcream)

This was before I realised that putting fries into hot oil with TONGS is preferable to using  your hands

The best thing about slicing a large steak like this is you get a gradation of doneness from medium through to rare

Frites are done

The only problem is I ate them so fast I didn't take a picture of it all put together! next time....

Welcome to my refrigerator

Why not add another sister into the mix? I promise there are no more hidden sisters, I'm the last one. I'm Kerryn and I fall right in between the other two in age. I live in Portland, Oregon after relocating from Wellington 2 years ago. I miss New Zealand terribly but I unexpectedly fell head over heels in love with an American boy and it looks like I'll be sticking around a while....

My American sweethearts birthday is coming up and I want to cook him something great. So while he's out of town I am going to practice the dish I want to make him on a group of friends. Can you guess what I'm making? in the refrigerator is what I prepared in advance.... When I can I like to have as much done as possible before having people over so I can enjoy their company and drink a glass of wine (and make it look like this was so easy!). This was about 40 minutes of prep but it's going to make all the difference.


The top shelf here doesn't count, but you sure can tell a lot about a girl by her fridge right? here there's:

* Champagne (I recently got engaged)
* Tonic because it's summer in the US and I love a gin
* Miso paste because I like to make things from scratch and I want to try making miso soup next week
* And that little milk jug next to the water? well I'm lactose intolerant so it's not milk. It's bacon fat I saved from burger night. Bacon fat makes the best roast potatoes.