Steak Frites with Tomato Au Poivre

Cook your preferred steak in a hot, oiled pan until it reaches your desired doneness. Once cooked, set it aside to rest.

In the same pan used for the steak, melt butter and sauté chopped shallots until they begin to color.

Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add tomato paste and fry it for a minute to deepen the flavor.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

Add more butter and a spoonful of Dijon mustard, stirring until combined.

Once the sauce has cooked down and emulsified, add a splash of cognac.

Pour in heavy cream, then add a bay leaf, fresh thyme, and tarragon. Let the sauce simmer.

In a separate dry pan, toast peppercorns until fragrant, then add them to the sauce as it reduces.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing on the solids to extract all the liquid.

Return the strained sauce to a pot. Add ground toasted peppercorns and sumac for extra flavor.

Fry french fries in beef tallow or a neutral oil until golden brown and crispy.

In the final moments of frying, add garlic cloves and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme to infuse the fries with flavor.

Plate the fries, top with the sliced steak, and generously pour the peppercorn sauce over everything.

Garnish with fresh chopped tarragon and serve immediately.