Steak Frites Sunday Dinner

One of our favorite meals is steak & pomme frites. It doesn't really matter the cut of steak we use. It's all in the cooking and sauce. Tonight it was New York strip, shallot & brandy sauce and hand cut fries. I love my steak rare. Chris always says just knock the horns off, introduce it to the flame and that's perfect for me. The rest of my family likes it medium rare. So, Chris, being the master griller that he is, manages to get it perfect for anyone and whatever their preference of temperature is. We Emertons are so much about the sauce. This one is quite simple. Saute minced shallots in olive oil until soft, add brandy and reduce by half, add beef stock and bring to a boil for a couple minutes, and then a splash of cream for good measure. Let boil and thicken. As Maggie said, I don't even have to taste it to know I like it. For the fries, I hand cut to achieve equal proportion for each fry. I do the twice fry method. First, fry them at 230 degrees until soft. Then up the oil temp to 350 and fry again. This results in a soft, cloudy center with a crispy outer shell. Sprinkle with truffle salt and it's a little bit of heaven. I can't help but have a little sauce American, otherwise known as ketchup. This might insult the cook, but alas it is me!