Steak Frites Tahitien (Papeʻete Roulotte Steak and Fries)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart pot for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Cast-iron skillet or grill pan
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the steaks

   Pat the steaks dry and salt them on both sides with about 1 teaspoon of the sea salt. Let them sit at room temperature while you cut and soak the potatoes, 30 minutes if you have it. The surface should look a little wet at first, then tacky and ready for the pan.

   Use beef you can trace if you can. A lot of Tahiti's steak culture leans on New Zealand beef, and that Aotearoa connection is part of the modern Pacific table.
2. 2

   Soak the fries

   Cut the potatoes into half-inch fries and soak them in cold water for at least 20 minutes, swishing once or twice until the water clouds up. Drain and dry them hard with towels. Wet potatoes make tired fries, and nobody waited at a Papeʻete roulotte for that.

3. 3

   First fry

   Heat the frying oil in a heavy pot to 325F. Fry the potatoes in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, just until pale and flexible, not browned. Lift them to a rack and let them rest while you make the sauce and cook the steaks.

4. 4

   Make one sauce

   For pepper sauce, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan, soften the shallot, then add the cracked peppercorns. Pour in the beef stock and reduce by half, then add the cream and Dijon and simmer until glossy enough to coat a spoon. For roquefort sauce, warm the cream gently, whisk in the cheese until melted and smooth, then sharpen it with lemon juice. Pick one sauce for the plate, the way the roulotte asks you at the window.

   Keep the sauce warm, not boiling. Cream that boils hard turns grainy, and roquefort gets bossy fast.
5. 5

   Sear the beef

   Heat a cast-iron pan or grill pan until very hot. Rub the steaks with neutral oil, season with black pepper, and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness. Add the butter and crushed garlic for the last minute and spoon the glossy butter over the meat. Rest the steaks 5 to 8 minutes so the juices settle back where they belong.

6. 6

   Crisp the fries

   Raise the oil to 375F and fry the potatoes again in batches until golden, crisp at the edges, and fluffy inside, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a rack, salt right away, and keep them loose so they don't soften under their own heat.

7. 7

   Plate roulotte style

   Set each steak on a plain plate or wooden board, pour the pepper or roquefort sauce over the top, and pile the fries high beside it. Finish with parsley or chives if you're using them. This is Tahiti's night plate: French sauce, Pacific beef, fries enough for two hands, and no need make it precious.

Chef Tips

• •No deep fryer needed. A heavy pot and thermometer do the job, and the double fry is what gives the potato a crisp edge with a soft center.
• •Roquefort is the old French choice, sharp and salty. If you can't find it, use another blue cheese that melts clean. Eat what you have.
• •For a fuller Tahitian table, serve this after a cold bowl of ʻia ota, Tahiti's raw fish in coconut milk and lime. Same city, different side of the story.
• •Don't call this an ancestral dish. It is post-contact, urban, French-Tahitian roulotte food, and that's not a weakness. The islands keep living.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut and soak the potatoes up to 4 hours ahead, then drain and dry them very well before frying.
• •Make the pepper sauce or roquefort sauce up to 1 day ahead and rewarm gently with a splash of cream.
• •Salt the steaks up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate uncovered on a rack; bring them toward room temperature before searing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 820g)