What to Serve With Steak: Sauces and Sides That Earn Their Place
A well-cooked steak can stand on its own with a little salt and a hot pan, but nobody has ever complained about a good sauce. Across the world, cooks have settled on a handful of partners for steak, and almost all of them do the same job: add richness, add sharpness, or both. If you are planning a steak dinner, this is where to start.
The cut matters when choosing a partner. Lean cuts such as fillet have little flavour of their own and love a rich, buttery sauce. Fattier cuts such as ribeye and rump already carry plenty of richness, so they do well with something sharp and herby. Thin steaks cook fast and suit a quick pan sauce, while a thick steak can take a sauce made ahead.
The French bistro classic is steak frites: a seared steak, a heap of thin crisp fries, and a sauce to dip both in. It is simple, quick to cook, and the template for most of what follows.
BĂ©arnaise is the sauce most people picture with a fillet or sirloin. It is hollandaise's herbier cousin: egg yolks and warm butter whisked into a glossy emulsion, sharpened with a reduction of shallot, vinegar and tarragon. It takes a little patience, but it is the one that makes a plain steak feel like a restaurant meal.
If you would rather not whisk an emulsion, peppercorn sauce is the easier route to the same bistro feeling. Crushed black peppercorns, brandy, stock and cream are reduced in the pan the steak was cooked in, picking up all the browned bits. It is warming, peppery and ready in about fifteen minutes.
Hollandaise is less traditional on steak, but it comes from the same family as béarnaise and is lighter on the herbs and sharper with lemon. It is at its best spooned over a thin steak with asparagus, or over eggs the next morning.
For something completely different, look to Argentina. Chimichurri is a raw green sauce of parsley, garlic, oregano and vinegar, and it is the table sauce of the asado, the Argentine barbecue. Its sharp, herby bite cuts through grilled beef instead of coating it, which makes it a good match for a thicker, fattier cut.
On the side, the choice is between crisp and creamy. Fries or roast potatoes give crunch, while dauphinoise, thinly sliced potatoes baked in garlicky cream, turns steak into a dinner-party dish. Choose one rich thing and one sharp thing, and you are done.
A few rules of thumb help. Rest the steak for several minutes before serving, because the juices settle and the sauce stays on the plate rather than running. Serve emulsion sauces such as béarnaise warm, not hot, and keep them over a bowl of warm water rather than on the heat. Salt the steak generously and early, and always cook it in a pan that is properly hot.
The best steak dinners keep to a simple plan: one rich sauce, one sharp or green element, one potato, and a plain vegetable such as green beans or a peppery salad. Everything else is optional.