There are few dinners that feel as effortlessly fancy as steak frites: juicy pan-seared steak, a pile of crispy golden fries, and a melting pat of garlic herb butter.
The best part? This steak frites recipe looks like something you ordered at a French bistro, but it is totally doable at home. I use a well-seasoned skillet for a beautifully browned steak, super crispy fries to catch all those savory juices, and compound butter for that rich restaurant-style finish.
Whether you call it steak frites, steak and frites, or just steak and fries in its Sunday best, this is one of those recipes that proves simple ingredients make for the best meals. The secret to the best steak frites recipe is simple: a properly seared steak, fries that are cooked extra crispy, and a flavorful butter or sauce that melts into every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Steak Frites Recipe
- Restaurant-worthy without restaurant effort – Pan-seared steak, crispy fries, and herb butter make this feel fancy without making you question your life choices.
- Flexible fry options – Use frozen fries, air fryer fries, oven fries, or homemade frites.
- Big flavor, simple ingredients – Steak, potatoes, butter, herbs, salt, pepper. The classics are classics for a reason.
- Easy to customize – Try New York strip, ribeye, hanger steak, bavette, truffle butter, au poivre sauce, or creamy horseradish sauce.
- Perfect for date night or weeknights – It feels like a bistro dinner but doesn’t require a culinary school diploma.
What is Steak Frites?
Steak Frites is the classic brasserie-style steak dish steak. Crispy french fries soak up a juicy steak topped with compound herb butter.
It is a French dish (some actually claim it hails from Belgium) and sometimes called steak and frites, or even pommes frites (just fancy for fries), so steak and fries. Golden brown seasoned steaks atop a mountain of French fries topped with a compound butter.
What is Steak Frites Au Poivre?
It just means they used a peppercorn au poivre sauce. You can also use another classic French sauce, Beurre Blanc or even Hollandaise Sauce. If you do this, I’d omit the compound butter.
Ingredients for Steak Frites
- Steak: I like New York strip steak because it has great beefy flavor, enough fat to stay juicy, and sears beautifully in a cast iron skillet. Ribeye, hanger steak, bavette, Denver cut or sirloin also work. See my chart above on picking the best cut of beef for you.
- Fries: Use frozen fries, air fryer fries, oven fries, or homemade frites. The most important thing is getting them extra crispy so they can soak up the steak juices and butter.
- Butter: Maitre d’hotel butter, garlic herb butter, truffle butter, or plain high-quality butter all work. This is where the dish goes from “steak and fries” to “ooh la la, look at us.”
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and black pepper are classic, but my homemade steak seasoning adds extra depth.
- Fresh Herbs: These are optional, but give you gourmet vibes for presentation. Parsley, chives, thyme, or tarragon add color and freshness.
Best Steak for Steak Frites
Many different cuts of steak are used. I like New York strip steak, but you can also find them with hanger steak, which is considered a butcher’s cut; tender and robust beefy flavor.
Chef Tip
Chef Tip: For the best crust, choose steaks that are at least 1 inch thick and pat them very dry before seasoning. Moisture is the enemy of browning—she’s rude like that.
How to Make Steak and Frites
The dish has three main elements broken down into these easy steps.
- Make Butter & Onions. I highly suggest making the butter (if making homemade compound butter) ahead of time so the flavors can marry and infuse the butter. I also make the mushrooms and onions ahead of time, if using. These aren’t traditional, but I like adding them as my vegetable.
- Make Fries. I wrote a whole section on this right below, but remember there is no shame in frozen French fries! I like good food, but I also value time with my value.
- Season Beef. Many recipes season the steaks with kosher salt and black pepper, but I like adding a little pizzazz with my homemade steak seasoning. It adds celery salt and also nutmeg for added aroma and flavor.
- Cook Beef. Next I pan fry, which is the traditional method of cooking. To this, pat the beef dry with paper towels and use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Getting it dry reduces moisture, which can create steam and prevent browning. A cast iron skillet shouldn’t stick and is very good with high heat. If using a stainless skillet, you will need about 1 tablespoon of oil for 2-4 steaks. Aim for something with a high smoke point and only lubricate, you aren’t deep frying.
If you prefer to grill or broil, be my guest. The minutes per side will vary greatly depending on the thickness of your steak and prefered doneness. I am a medium rare girl, but here is a guide to degrees of doneness. Also learn how to broil steak if you are worried about pan frying. Pan juices can be used to make a crazy good gravy too!
- Rest. Regardless of how you decide to add fire to the beef, make sure you let is rest before plating and cutting to let the juices redistribute. You can do this on a cutting board and tent it with aluminum foil to prevent heat loss. This way the steak juices stay put- in the steak and don’t run out onto the cutting board.
- Plate & Serve. Next is putting it all together. I like to layer because it looks sophisticated, so fries, beef and then butter all in a glorious tower. You can slice the steak against the grain if you are breaking up each steak to serve more people.
Best Fries for Steak Frites
Classic frites are thin, crispy fries, but at home you have options. The goal is simple: crisp enough to hold up under steak juices and melted butter.
- Shoestring fries: Closest to classic frites; cook quickly and get super crisp.
- Standard-cut fries: Easy to find and sturdy enough for steak juices.
- Steak fries: Heartier, but less traditional. Great if you want more potato fluffiness.
- Air fryer fries: My go-to shortcut for maximum crunch with minimal fuss.
- Homemade double-fried fries: The gold standard if you have time and energy, which rarely happens in the my house.
How to Make Frozen Fries in the Air Fryer
Here is a good starting point for how long to cook fries in the Air Fryer.
- Standard Size: Preheat to 350°F. Cook on 350 for 13-15 minutes, shaking 2 times at 3-4 minute intervals.
- Shoestring: Preheat for 350°F. Cook on 300 for 7-10 minutes, shaking once while cooking.
- Steak Fries: Preheat for 400°F. Cook on 400 for 12-14 minutes, shaking once while cooking.
- Tater tots: Preheat for 400°F. Cook on 400 for 15-16 minutes, shaking once while cooking.
Steak Frites Sauce Ideas
Classic steak frites can be served simply with herb butter, but sauces are always welcome.
- Maitre d’hotel butter: Classic parsley-lemon compound butter.
- Garlic herb butter: Easy, rich, and perfect with fries.
- Truffle butter: Fancy without trying too hard.
- Au poivre sauce: Peppercorn cream sauce for a bistro-style steak frites au poivre.
- Béarnaise sauce: Rich, buttery, and traditional with steak.
- Horseradish cream sauce: Tangy and bold.
- Homemade steak sauce: Great for the sauce people. We all know one.
Variations
Make this an extra special dish by using Truffle Butter or any of my other flavored butters including blue cheese butter. You can even use a plain good quality butter. You can also use a melted Herb Garlic Butter with a hint of lemon.
My husband also requests a side of Creamy Horseradish Sauce and Homemade Steak Sauce. Also try this mushroom sauce for steak!
Chopped parsley, chives and even a shake of crushed red pepper are also welcome, as is a drizzle of flavored olive oil.
What Do You Serve with Steak Frites?
This dish is often served standalone as a bistro style, but start off with escargot or a butter board and baguette, maybe even a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup.
Add a side dish like baked kale gratin, balsamic stewed tomatoes, pan fried broccolini, crab imperial or seafood macaroni and cheese.
Make Ahead and Reheating
I generally make my Mushrooms and Garlic ahead of time and then just heat time in the same skillet I cook the steak while it rests. Maitre d’hotel butter can also be made ahead of time, I generally keep this as a staple in my refrigerator anyhow.
Other than that, the steak and fries are best enjoyed fresh and right from the oven, Air Fryer or fryer. If you are making multiple steaks and/or fries, keep them warm in the oven while you prepare them in batches.
I do not suggest freezing this dish. Reheat leftovers in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes or give it a quick flip in a hot skillet.
More Beefy Recipes
Steak Frites Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 thick cut strip steaks
- 2 tablespoons Steakhouse Steak Rub
- 2 cups French fries , cooked
- 2 tablespoons maitre d’hotel butter
Instructions
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Season the 2 thick cut strip steaks with the 2 tablespoons Steakhouse Steak Rub and set aside.
- Heat a cast iron pan or heavy skillet over high heat until smoking. Make sure you turn on the vent or have proper ventilation. If the skillet is not nonstick or cast iron, add a small amount of high smoke point oil like peanut oil.
- Add the seasoned steaks, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side, longer if you like a medium-well done steak. This will also be highly dependent on the thickness of your steaks. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- To plate, place cooked, crispy 2 cups French fries on the bottom, top with your steak and finally 2 tablespoons maitre d’hotel butter.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
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Great recipe- was delicious and although time consuming, easy to follow instructions. Might be better than a restaurant!
Im really impressed by how good this one. Restaurant quality for sure.
This was a hit in our house. The entire family devoured it. I served mine sliced over the french fries … made the meat go a little farther in my large family. Everyone enjoyed it and I can’t wait to make it again.
This turned out amazing and the instructions were so helpful
So glad you loved it!
This is a restaurant- quality steak! So easy and doesn’t cost a fortune to make.