Miso-marinated Steak & French Fries
sesame miso butter sauce optional / A Father's Day dedication to my dad and brother
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When I started this newsletter, I made a promise to myself: no holiday-themed recipes. It's not that I don't enjoy the holidays—I do—but they just didn't fit my vision for this newsletter focused on single-serve and small-batch ideas. Well, guess what? I've failed miserably at sticking to that promise. First, there was a Valentine's Day recipe, then one dedicated to my mom for Mother's Day. Now, it's Father's Day, and I couldn't resist doing a recipe for my dad. So much for my grand plans!
Coming up with a recipe that my dad would enjoy turned out to be both easy and challenging. My dad is a simple guy. He doesn't go for fancy or extravagant meals. He's your typical Midwestern meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Unlike my mom, there aren't any specific dishes that come to mind when I think of my dad. Meat is his go-to, whether it's burgers, pork chops, or grilled meats. There's no signature pie or daily food craving to guide me.
But my brother is a dad now too. He and his wife have two amazing kids, and I'm a proud uncle. My brother, Joe, is just as easygoing as my dad when it comes to food. He'll eat almost anything, and if I'm being honest, a recipe for him would have to involve chocolate. Like my mom, he has an undeniable love for anything chocolate. So, in a way, last month's recipe and this one could be dedicated to my brother. He is their child, after all.
After some thought, I settled on a miso-marinated steak with French fries. It's a dish that I know both my dad and my brother enjoy. Steak is my dad's favorite meat, and there's certainly no shortage of steak recipes out there. But I didn't want to settle for a basic steak smothered in A1 Sauce like he usually does. I wanted to add a unique twist while keeping the dish recognizable and not too outlandish. That's when I thought of using miso as a marinade—it adds that special punch of flavor while still feeling familiar.
To accompany the steak, I created a sesame miso butter sauce. If you've been following along since the first newsletter, you'll know that I have a deep love for miso. I find it works wonders with most meats and sauces. It has a robust flavor, and a little goes a long way, making it an economical flavoring ingredient. I drew inspiration from Cowboy Butter to create this sauce, but with a twist that matches some of the flavors in the marinade. This way, you get those flavors woven throughout the dish in two different yet complementary ways. I love this sauce because it adds richness and creaminess to the steak without overpowering its succulent flavors.
Now, the steak itself is pretty straightforward, but it doesn't lack in flavor. It does take a bit of time, but most of it is passive time. My preferred cooking method for steak is the reverse-sear method popularized by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt in his book The Food Lab. I've tried different cooking methods, but I find the reverse-sear method to be the easiest and nearly foolproof. As long as you can operate an oven, you'll do just fine. Having an instant-read thermometer on hand is handy for this technique.
The reverse-sear method is as simple as it sounds. Instead of searing the steak on the stovetop and then finishing it in the oven, you cook it in the oven first to your desired temperature and then sear it on the stove. It removes all the guesswork. I'm okay with slightly longer cooking times if it means foolproof results.
Since I've discovered this method, I've used it for various meats, and it has always delivered fantastic results. I have to confess, though, I used to have a deep fear of undercooking meat and making people sick. No matter how many times I cooked meat before, that fear lingered. Learning the reverse-sear method gave me peace of mind. I simply cook the steak low and slow in the oven, use a thermometer to check the temperature, and then sear it on the stovetop. This method keeps the meat juicy, eliminates the need for resting, and avoids that dreaded band of overcooked meat around the edges.
Now, let's talk about the fries—my shameless personal choice. Potatoes and steak are a match made in heaven. A nice baked potato usually accompanies a perfectly cooked, juicy steak. Sometimes it's steak fries, and if you're lucky, you might even get some kettle chips. But for me, fries will always be the ultimate side dish. So, if I'm going to put in the effort to make steak (which isn't my personal favorite), I might as well pair it with something I absolutely love. Fries are my top choice.
For the fries, I use the cold oil method, where you place the cut potatoes in cold oil and bring them up to frying temperature together. I've used this method countless times for other foods (remember the fried shallots from the second newsletter?), and it works like a charm. This technique is attributed to Chef Joel Robuchon. Now, are they exactly like restaurant-quality fries? Not exactly—they don't have that pale yellow color we're all used to. But they turn out crispy and hit all the right notes. Plus, they're incredibly easy for any home cook to accomplish. It's a win-win in my book.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I hope you have an enjoyable and delicious celebration. This dish may not be as impressive as the chocolate pie from the last newsletter, but it's definitely not one to dismiss quickly. The belief that every dish has to be a masterpiece when cooking for someone special is an outdated notion. A visually stunning dish doesn't always equate to a delicious one. As long as the love behind the dish is there, simplicity is irrelevant. And I truly believe this dish deserves a place in anyone's repertoire. Mastering these techniques opens up a world of possibilities for you to add your own spin later on, making any dish for yourself or someone special all the better and more personal.
Miso-marinated Steak and French Fries
Serves 1
Miso Marinade
¼ cup shiro (white) miso
2 tablespoons sake, dry white wine, or 1 tablespoon water plus 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 6 to 8 ounce bone-in Ribeye steak, an inch or two thick
Sesame Miso Butter Sauce
¼ cup butter, melted
½ a small shallot, diced small
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ tablespoon shiro (white) miso
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon Spanish (smoked) paprika
French Fries
1 large russet potato
4 ½ cups neutral oil (peanut, canola, vegetable)
salt
Instructions
Make the marinade
1. Place the miso, sake, sesame oil, honey, and dijon in a bowl. Mix until well combined.
2. In a large plastic bag or a shallow dish with a lid, pour in the marinade. Add the steak and toss to coat evenly.
3. Place the steak in the refrigerator for at least one hour to overnight, but no more than 24 hours.
Make the sauce
1. Add the butter, shallot, garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, miso, pepper flakes and paprika to a bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Cook the steak
1. Preheat oven to 250° Fahrenheit/121° Celsius. Line a quarter sheet pan with a baking rack.
2. Take the steak out of the fridge. Wipe off the majority of the marinade, it’s not crucial at this moment to get it all.
3. Place the steak on the sheet pan with the baking rack. Cook in the oven until the internal temperature reaches your desired temp (see Tips/Notes), 30 to 45 minutes for med-rare.
In the meantime, make the French fries
1. Wash and scrub a large russet potato until cleaned. Peel if you’d like.
2. Cut the russet potato into little Mickey D’s look-a-likes or thicker like their archrival BK. Place the cut fries into a bowl of cold water while you’re cutting the rest.
3. Once you have cut all the fries, move them around in the bowl of water to release the starch. Pour out the water and fill it up again with cold water. Repeat this process (usually 3 or 4 passes) until the water runs clear.
4. Take the fries out of the water and wrap in paper towel or a dish towel. Pat the fries until completely dry.
5. Place oil in a medium sauce pan or dutch oven. Add the dried fries to the pot. Stir around a little to make sure the fries are submerged.
6. Place the pot on the stove over high heat. As the oil heats, it’ll start off as a rapid simmer, about 9 minutes, and then will begin to boil. Once at this point, and depending on the thickness of the fries, they can fry anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally during this process, every 5 minutes or so, to make sure they aren’t sticking and browning evenly. Take a single fry out to cool a little and test for the texture you want. Continue to do this until you’ve reached the texture you’d like. Remove the fries when they’ve reached a nice golden brown and crispy on the outside. Place them on a paper towel lined plate or tray to drain. Sprinkle with salt.
Sear the steak
1. Once the steak has reached the preferred temperature (see Tips/Notes), take it out of the oven. Wipe off any marinade you didn’t get the first go around. You want to make sure the marinade is completely wiped off at this point as miso burns very easily. Open a handful of windows or get a fan going.
2. Place a heavy bottom skillet or cast-iron skillet over high heat on the stove. Add a tablespoon or two of oil.
3. Once the skillet is ripping hot, a few wisps of smoke will be your indicator, place your steak into the pan and don’t mess with it. It’ll sizzle and splatter and make a lot of noise and smoke, but this is what you want. Let the steak sear on the first side until an evenly browned crust has formed, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Flip the steak over to the other side and repeat the process, another 3 to 5 minutes.
5. With a pair of tongs, sear the sides of the steak and the fat cap.
6. Plate the steak, and serve with the French fries and sesame miso butter sauce.
Tips/Notes
1. The temperature you want to take your steak out of the oven will be 10 to 15 degrees (in Fahrenheit) less than your preferred final temperature. Pull the steak at 105° to 110° Fahrenheit/40.5° to 43.3° Celsius for rare, 115° to 120° F/46° to 48.9° C for med-rare, 125° to 130° F/51.6° to 54.4° C for medium and 135° to 140° F/57° to 60° C for well done.
2. The length of time your steak cooks in the oven will depend on how thick it is and how large. Larger and thicker slices will take longer than a smaller, thinner slice.
3. I prefer the sesame miso butter sauce to be a little more on the thicker side, but you can easily reheat the sauce in short bursts in the microwave for a runnier sauce.