Recipes Strip Steak Frites with Béarnaise Butter 4.0 (1) 1 Review This brilliant take on steak frites is a specialty of chef Andrew Carmellini. He tops seared strip steaks with a butter infused with tarragon, shallots and vinegar—key ingredients in béarnaise sauce—and serves them with tangy French fries made with vinegar-brined potatoes. Slideshow: More Steak Recipes By Andrew Carmellini Andrew Carmellini F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Though he’s won tremendous acclaim for his modern Italian dishes at New York’s Locanda Verde, F&W Best New Chef 2000 Andrew Carmellini is fascinated by traditional American cooking, which he explores at his restaurant The Dutch and in his book American Flavor. Here, his number one entertaining tip, his favorite cookbook and the basic technic everyone should master. What’s one great entertaining tip? Pour heavily. What’s your most requested recipe, the one dish you’re most known for? The rabbit potpie at The Dutch, the sheep’s milk ricotta at Locanda Verde. What’s your favorite cookbook of all time?La Méthode, by Jacques Pépin, the first cookbook I was ever given. What’s the best cheap cooking gadget?Vegetable peeler. One technique everyone should know? How to use heat and fire correctly is elemental.2000 Best New Chef Bio Why Because while working in the French style of the restaurant's owner, Daniel Boulud, he has forged a culinary identity all his own. Born Cleveland, 1971. Education Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY. Experience Le Cirque 2000 and Lespinasse in New York City. First thing prepared Tossed salad with vegetables from his family's backyard garden. How he got into cooking "I was a very hyperactive kid. My mom says cooking was the only thing that would calm me down." What he'd be if he weren't a chef A guitarist in a rock band. "I've been playing guitar since I was six." A request he said no to Grilled skate. "It's difficult to grill skate." Strangest food eaten Baby loofah (a gourd whose fibrous skeleton is commonly used as a bath sponge) with mushrooms and preserved sea scallops at Ping's Seafood in Queens, in New York City. Favorite food books "I have a lot of out-of-print reference books on plants, flowers and vegetables." How he gets to work Bicycle. Least favorite food Sea urchin. A frustration The sudden rise in food allergies. "I wonder why that is?" Favorite wine "The monster reds. I had a 1971 Ridge Montebello recently that was so good it was almost a meal." Won Best New Chef at: Café Boulud, New York City Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients Frites 4 baking potatoes, peeled 1 gallon water 1/4 cup fine sea salt 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar Canola oil, for frying Béarnaise Butter 1/4 cup minced shallots 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup minced tarragon 1 tablespoon minced parsley 1 tablespoon minced chervil (optional) Kosher salt Pepper Steak Four 8-ounce dry-aged New York strip steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick, at room temperature Kosher salt Pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil Directions Make the frites Put the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water. Slice them lengthwise 1/4 inch thick, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick fries. Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. Refrigerate overnight in cold water. In a large pot, bring the gallon of water to a boil. Stir in the salt and vinegar. Drain the potatoes and add them to the boiling water. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the potatoes well, then spread them in a single layer on paper towels. Pat thoroughly dry and let cool. Line 2 baking sheets with paper towels. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 inches of oil to 365°. Working in batches, fry the potatoes for 1 minute, stirring gently so they don’t stick together. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fries to the paper towels to cool. Make the bearnaise butter In a medium saucepan, combine the shallots, wine and vinegar and cook over moderate heat until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Scrape the shallots into a medium bowl. Add the butter and beat with a handheld mixer until creamy. Fold in the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Make the steaks Season the steaks with salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil. Cook 2 of the steaks over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Repeat with the remaining 2 steaks. Let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in the casserole to 400°. In 2 batches, fry the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels. Season with salt. Top the steaks with some of the béarnaise butter and serve immediately with the fries and the remaining béarnaise butter. Make Ahead The béarnaise butter can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 1 month. Suggested Pairing Merlot-based Bordeaux from St-Émilion is perfect with steak. Rate it Print