Steak frites combine the rich earthiness of freshly grilled beef with the crispy and tender taste of a plate of warm french fries. Indulging in this dish is worthwhile for the mouthfeel alone, but the flavor explosion of savory goodness is what really makes the meal shine. If you’re looking for the best sauce to tie everything together, refer to the opinion of expert Guillaume Thivet, executive chef at Grand Brasserie, a bustling restaurant that boasts steak frites as one of its most ordered menu items. Thivet says, “Personally, I will make a chimichurri sauce with a perfectly seared or grilled steak.”
An easy chimichurri recipe makes a light and tangy sauce that Thivet notes is the “perfect balance to accentuate the flavor of the [charred] meat by adding freshness and a perfect amount of zing.” The typical ingredients of this Argentinian sauce include olive oil mixed with fresh garlic, parsley, and cilantro, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. If you want to make quality steak frites at home, choosing a chimichurri sauce to top off your dish is the right way to go. Whether your go-to recipe is quick and easy or a more labor-intensive fresh chimichurri sauce, both will yield a complementary condiment.
How to make a crave-worthy chimichurri sauce
To make the very best chimichurri sauce, it’s important to have a well-balanced set of ingredients and to pulse everything together, either with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor so it’s still coarse in texture while allowing the flavors to fully combine. Start with a quality olive oil and determine whether you want to use fresh or dried versions of the staple herb ingredients. While dried herbs are more potent than their fresh counterparts, for a chimichurri sauce, fresh is usually preferred when available, particularly to achieve the coarse and choppy consistency.
You can prepare your chimichurri sauce first before cooking your steak and fries to let the flavors meld together and infuse. Be sure to taste your chimichurri sauce and ensure it has the right level of flavor that you desire. After grilling the steak and frying the fries, let everything rest before slicing the meat and plating it together with the fries. Once you’ve got your meal assembled, gently spoon the chimichurri sauce over your steak frites and prepare to enjoy a taste sensation.
