Meredith Deeds | Star Tribune (TNS) Years ago, when my kids were little, my husband and I made sure we had a special night together at least once a week. We called it Champagne Friday, and even though we didn’t drink champagne (we usually opted for a more budget-friendly alternative), we always tried to make a nice meal to enjoy together after the kids went to bed. Related Articles Gyoza is an easy-to-make Japanese comfort food Cottage pie is the ultimate comfort food Recipes: Celebrate spring by making these dishes with asparagus This Asparagus, Sorrel and Pine Nut Salad is easy, bright and delicious Recipe: Steven Raichlen’s Italian-inspired Grilled Artichokes One of our favorites was the French bistro classic steak frites.
It’s a simple dish, just steak and fries, but one usually reserved for eating out. Since going out wasn’t in the cards back then, making the dish at home was the next best thing. While pan searing a steak is a fairly straightforward process, the “frites” are a little more involved as they require deep-frying the potatoes, not just once, but twice, in order to achieve the perfect crispiness.
The dish is often served with a bearnaise sauce, which can be a little tricky, especially if you’re only cooking for two. Bearnaise sauce is a close cousin of hollandaise. It typically starts with shallots, fresh tarragon and white wine vinegar.
Copious amounts of melted butter are then whisked into the mixture until a rich, creamy sauce is created. I’.