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Steak Frites with Cafe de Paris Butter

A coordinated two-stage fry and a hot skillet bring bistro-level contrast to affordable steak, finished with intensely savory herb butter.

Sliced medium-rare sirloin steaks with melting herb butter sit beside crisp golden shoestring fries and lemon wedges.

Steak frites succeeds on contrast: a dark, savory steak crust, a juicy center, hot brittle fries, and cool compound butter that melts into a sauce. The sequence here handles the real challenge by fitting the fries’ final crisping stage inside the steak’s necessary rest.

Build a complete butter

Cafe de Paris butter is more than herbs stirred into fat. Shallot and capers bring sharpness, anchovy and Worcestershire supply savory depth, Dijon binds the flavors, and lemon keeps the finished sauce lively against beef and fries.

Why two temperatures matter

The 325 F fry cooks the potato through while it remains pale and flexible. A later 375 F plunge rapidly dries and browns the exterior, producing the delicate crunch that defines proper shoestring frites.

Pale first-cooked shoestring fries drain on a rack while four seasoned sirloin steaks wait beside a heavy skillet. — Pale, tender shoestring potatoes drain after their first fry while the seasoned steaks wait nearby.

Trust temperature over time

Steak thickness, skillet weight, and burner strength all shift the exact cooking time. Use the crust as the cue to turn and an instant-read thermometer for the center, removing the steaks at 120 to 125 F for medium-rare or 130 to 135 F for medium.

A practical oven route

Twice frying creates the lightest crust, but two preheated sheet pans provide a credible oven alternative with much less oil. Spread the shoestrings out, flip them once, and start them before the steaks so both parts still arrive hot.

Savory herb butter melts over a dark-crusted, rosy sliced sirloin beside thin, deeply golden crisp fries. — Cafe de Paris butter melts across the sliced rosy steak beside a pile of crisp golden frites.

Serve without delay

Salt fries the moment they leave the oil, when the seasoning adheres best, and move directly to the table. Slice the rested steak if desired, add another coin of butter, and pass lemon wedges to sharpen each rich plate.

Steak Frites with Cafe de Paris Butter

4 servings

60 minutes total

Ingredients

•
• 2 lb russet potatoes
• 8 cups neutral frying oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and finely chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large lemon
• 1 tbsp high-heat cooking oil

Method

Start the butter
Mash the softened butter with the shallot, parsley, tarragon, capers, anchovy fillets, Dijon, Worcestershire, zest from half the lemon, and 1 tsp lemon juice.
Look for: The seasonings are evenly distributed through the soft butter.
Shape and chill butter
Spoon the Cafe de Paris butter onto parchment, roll it into a 1 1/2-inch log, and chill while the potatoes and steaks cook.
Look for: The wrapped butter forms a compact log that will slice cleanly once chilled.
Cut and rinse potatoes
Cut the russet potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch shoestrings, rinse under cold water until it runs mostly clear, and dry them extremely well.
Look for: The potato surfaces feel dry and no beads of water remain before frying.
First-cook the fries
Heat the neutral frying oil in a deep heavy pot to 325 F and cook the potatoes in three batches for 3 to 4 minutes each, until tender and pale; drain on a rack.
Look for: The fries are flexible and cooked through but have little color.
Season the steaks
Pat the sirloin steaks dry and season them with 1 tsp salt and the black pepper; if using the selected fallback, season the 4 strip steaks identically.
Look for: The steak surfaces are dry with an even layer of seasoning.
Sear the steaks
Heat a heavy skillet over high until faintly smoking, add the high-heat cooking oil, and sear the steaks for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until deeply browned.
Look for: The steaks have a dark brown crust and release cleanly from the skillet.
Check doneness and rest
Remove steaks at 120 to 125 F for medium-rare or 130 to 135 F for medium; top each with a slice of compound butter and rest for 8 minutes.
Look for: The butter begins melting over the steaks while their juices settle.
Crisp the fries
While the steaks rest, raise the frying oil to 375 F and fry the potatoes again in three batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until deep gold and audibly crisp.
Look for: The fries are rigid, deep golden, and crisp at the edges.
Use the oven alternative
For oven fries instead, toss the cut potatoes with 3 tbsp measured from the neutral frying oil, spread on two hot sheet pans, and roast at 450 F for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes; begin them before searing the steaks.
Look for: The oven fries are browned on multiple sides with crisp, dry edges.
Season and serve
Drain the twice-fried potatoes, immediately toss them with the remaining 1 tsp salt, and serve them beside the rested steaks with extra Cafe de Paris butter and lemon wedges.
Look for: The fries remain crisp and the compound butter forms a glossy sauce over the warm steak.