Seared Steak with Buttered Pan Sauce and Crispy Potatoes
A hard-seared steak finished with a quick butter pan sauce, served next to golden potato wedges roasted until crisp at the edges.
- Total
- 50 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 35 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Resting meat
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C. Cut the potatoes into 3 cm wedges. Put them in a pot with 500 ml water and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes, until a knife slides in with slight resistance. Drain well and let them steam dry for 2 minutes.
~10 min
Parboiling gelatinizes surface starch and pre-cooks the wedges so the oven can crisp them through without burning.
Dry the potato wedges well after draining: surface moisture steams them and stops the edges from crisping in the oven.
-
Spread the potatoes on a parchment-lined baking tray in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden and crisp at the edges.
~25 min
A single layer with space lets moisture escape as steam instead of trapping it, which is what makes the edges crisp.
-
Pat the steak dry with paper towel and season both sides with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the pepper.
~2 min
Drying the surface removes moisture that would otherwise steam and block browning, while seasoning ahead lets salt penetrate.
-
Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Lay in the steak and sear for 3 minutes without moving it, then turn and sear 2 to 3 minutes more, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer reads 55°C for medium-rare. Move the steak to a board and rest it for 5 minutes.
~11 min
High heat drives the Maillard reaction for a browned crust, and resting lets juices redistribute instead of running out.
Resting the steak for 5 minutes before slicing lets the juices redistribute, so they end up on the plate rather than running out on the board.
Searing Get the pan properly hot and leave the steak untouched so a brown crust forms; moving it too early steams the surface and prevents browning.
Resting meat Rest the steak off the heat so juices redistribute into the fibers; slicing immediately lets them run out and leaves the meat dry.
-
While step 4 rests
While the steak rests, lower the pan heat to medium. Add the butter and 2 tbsp water to the browned pan, scraping the fond with a spoon for 1 minute until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.
~1 min
Water deglazes the fond, dissolving browned flavor into the sauce, while butter emulsifies it into a glossy coating.
-
Slice the rested steak against the grain, spoon the butter pan sauce over it and serve with the crispy potatoes.
~2 min