I love a nice steak and in the summer prefer it with some salad. But today, I also wanted fries.
You can see above what I ended up with.
What did I do, you ask. Well, gather round.
First the steaks were spread with salt and pepper and left to sit all day.
Then I hand cut 3 potatoes into fine, shoestring, fries. To be honest, they may be a fraction too large, but literally by about a millimetre.
Once cut they were rinsed a few times to wash the starch off, and then sat it a bowl of salty water until needed.
From there they were dried.
Tossed in a secret blend of flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and Old Bay seasoning.
And fried in small batches in a mix of vegetable and sesame oil, before being put in the oven.
Now, time to cook the steak. I got the pan nice and hot, added a little oil, then got a nice fry on. After a minute or so searing on each side I put a good lump of butter in, and some finely sliced shallots
Then, when the steaks are ready, on to the board to rest.
While the steak rested, it was time for the salad. A bistro bag from the supermarket gave a nice easy leafy selection, and these were drizzled with some homemade herb oil - I like to keep a jar in the fridge. This one's getting low so it'll soon be time to make up some more.
This was the first time I've done shoestring fries, though not the first time tossing in a coating.
I really liked the thinness of the fries, and will try and find my mandolin for the next time so the thickness is more regular.
Cooking them in small batches was ideal and I recommend it. It allows for easier control and monitoring of the fries as they cook.
And developing your own secret blend of coating will make your fries the envy of your friends.
For me, Old Bay seasoning is a new thing and I wasnt keen using it as the flavor focus. I found it a bit floral as the main seasoning but here the smoked paprika and fresh cracked pepper made it perfect.
All in all, a most enjoyable meal