I can’t remember who it was, but somebody recently heard that I blogged about food and commented, “Oh, I’m just a meat and potatoes kind of guy.” “Just meat and potatoes,” pah. This meal was the most scrumptious, most decadent meal I’ve had this year, and it was “just” meat and potatoes.

Seriously, other than oil, salt and pepper, this meal is just a 16 ounce rib eye steak and one potato. Alongside a salad, that fed my family of three.

I did make a Bearnaise sauce from this recipe on Epicurious, but I’ve never had it in France, or even in an American restaurant, so I don’t know if what I made in my kitchen is even a Bearnaise sauce. I don’t feel comfortable passing on instruction for a recipe on which I have very little background. So, just the steak and shoestring fries, then. Serves two adults and one toddler.

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Steak and Fries

Ingredients 

16 Ounce Rib-Eye Steak, Cut in Half

1 Large Potato, Cut with a Mandolin Slicer

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Oil for Frying

Method

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Heat a dutch oven or large heavy pot with about an inch of oil in it over medium to medium high heat until it reaches about 375 degrees.

Dry the steaks (because the steak has been cut in half) with a paper towel.

Salt and pepper them to taste on both sides.

Cook the steaks to desired doneness. (I cooked mine for seven minutes on one side, and five minutes on the second side and they were medium. I have a taste for medium-rare, but I worry about under-cooking meats especially when I’m serving them to my young children.)

In batches, fry the potato strings, letting the oil get back up to 375 degrees between batches. Put finished batches on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil. Salt and pepper them to taste while hot.

Transfer the steak to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for five minutes.

Serve.