I was inspired during a recent stay on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales to make a French-style dish using local Welsh ingredients. Steak Frites or steak and chips (but it sounds better in French) is one of our favourite ‘bistro-style’ suppers and I have lots of variations on one simple recipe. Sometimes I leave the steak whole and other times I prefer to slice the steak in thin slices. As well as using a good-quality moutarde, I also add a good twist of pepper or coat the steak in coarsely ground black pepper, adding a little stock and fresh cream, making it a bit more like Steak au Poivre. For a Stroganoff, I sometimes switch the mustard for tomato purée, adding a few spoons of sour cream instead of fresh double cream. You can also start by gently frying some shallots or finely sliced onions, I happened not to have any, but I did have mushrooms, so I fried them in a little garlic oil before adding my steak.
Whatever the final dish, Welsh Black Beef is a pretty special ingredient and we always stop at the superb Glasfryn Farm Shop on the Caernarfon Road to stock up, as we sweep down the coast. They also sell Llyn lamb (used in this recipe for Welsh Lamb with New Potatoes and Asparagus) and they can also prepare a holiday hamper for you filled with local produce. Their Welsh Pedigree Black Beef is reared on their own farm estate, before being hung (matured) on the bone for 28 days and is hand prepared by the Glasfryn butchers. Once you’ve tried beef of this quality, it’s very hard to go back to any other kind, so we always make the most of this local produce whenever we visit North Wales. I also picked up a lovely jar of award-winning Welsh Conwy Mustard. It was wholegrain and tasted quite mild, though we were blown away by its flavour with the black beef.
- 2 steaks
- 2 tablespoon garlic olive oil
- 150 g mushrooms
- 2 heaped tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- 60 ml white wine or brandy
- 125 ml beef stock
- 125 ml double/heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- sprinkle sea salt
- Take your steaks out of the fridge and leave them at room temperature for fifteen minutes, then thinly slice, or leave whole. Season the steak with a teaspoon of pepper.
- Add the garlic oil to a frying pan and place on a medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for five minutes, stirring gently. Turn the heat to high and add the strips of steak to the pan, fry for five minutes. They will start to take on some colour. If leaving whole, fry the steaks for two-three minutes on each side, for medium rare, slightly longer if you want your steak more cooked.
- Turn the heat down slightly. Add the mustard to the pan and mix, then add the white wine or brandy, stir and cook for a further two minutes. Add the stock and let it bubble or reduce down for one minute, followed by the double/heavy cream. Again, stir and let the sauce bubble or reduce down for a minute. Season with more freshly ground or coarse black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt.
- Check the steak is cooked to your liking and serve with french fries or chips.
I’m sending this across to Jamie at Life’s A Feast in La Belle France who is hosting this month’s Monthly Mingle on behalf of Meeta at What’s For Dinner, Honey? This month’s theme is April in Paris and though my dish was made with local Welsh ingredients, from the very first mouthful, I was instantly transported from the Welsh Coast to a Paris Brasserie!
I’m also linking this up to Family Friendly Fridays here on Fabulicious Food! My kids happen to like creamy sauces with mild mustard, though this quick dish could also be great for a gathering of friends or a laid-back Friday night supper with a good bottle of wine once the kids are asleep!
Why not give this a go at the weekend?
I am a big supporter of local produce and received no incentive to write about any particular shop or producer. Welsh Black Beef is Wales’ native cattle breed.
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My daughter adores creamy sauces with mustard too. Bookmarking this to remind me. Great to mingle with you Ren.
Thanks Sally, I thought the Mingle was wonderful this month, so many lovely French recipes to try and I like the way Jaime split them up 🙂 Hope your daughter enjoys this someday x
OMG it’s only lunchtime and now I am already hankering after dinner… This looks heavenly – I do a similar dish with pork chops for a quick and easy after work dinner.
Ooh now, pork chops would be wonderful with this sauce, and a splash of sherry…off to the shops!
Ren, I love this dish. And as you say, classic steak frites is what everyone seems to search out and eat on our first trip to France…and then continues to eat it forever, as it really is so delicious and comforting (for some reason). I love the very French version of a creamy mustard sauce! I will be making this for my family and they’ll love it! With frites, bien sur! Thanks so much for bringing this wonderful dish to my Monthly Mingle table!
Thanks Jamie! I am so looking forward to the round-up to see what everyone else had sent across. It will be like a mini French cookbook! xx
Delicious. One of those perfect French combinations, and something my husband and sons chose in our local Roscoff Brasserie, when they have had enough fish.
Your version sounds perfect.
Thanks Jude, sounds like a lovely Brasserie.
A classic recipe, Ren. When you have such good ingredients you don’t have to do much with them really – they speak for themselves, as it were. I wonder what the Welsh for “Steak and Chips” is. Maybe it sounds even more glamorous than “Steak Frites”!
I have no idea Mark! I will find out!
My mouth is watering – GREAT recipe and one that my girls will love – thanks!
Mary x
Thank you Mary, hope you get to try it some time.
Now then Ren, this looks SERIOUSLY good! Can I invite you over to cook me supper one night?!!!! I can almost taste that from looking at those pictures… so partial to steak and chips with a lush sauce to dip everything in… yummity yum!
Thanks Katie, my goodness, I ate that plate of food so quickly! Can’t beat steak with a nice creamy sauce 🙂 Have a lovely weekend x