Chef notes

It's hard to beat a beautifully seared, juicy steak paired with crispy french fries. A savory spice rub and rich, tangy blue cheese-infused butter add dimension, flavor and intrigue to the iconic combo.

Technique tip: Pulling the steaks out in advance and bringing them to room temp before cooking allows for even cooking. French fries need to be cooked twice so they have the perfect texture of fluffy in the center and crispy on the outside.

Special equipment: A spider and large, deep straight-sided pot for frying. Cast-iron skillet for steaks.

Ingredients

For the Spice Rub

3 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

For the Steaks

2 (2-inch-thick) boneless beef rib-eye steaks
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Spice Rub (recipe above)
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil

For the Blue Cheese Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup blue cheese, such as Roquefort

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped chives, for garnish

For the French Fries

5 large Idaho potatoes, peeled
1 quart neutral oil, for frying

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
ketchup, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise, for dipping

Preparation

For the spice rub:

Add spices to a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

For the steaks:

Remove the steaks 30 minutes or so before cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Season the steaks generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the spice rub on one side only.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat until it begins to shimmer. Place the steaks, spice-rub-side down, into the pan and sear until crust develops, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over and sear for an additional 3 minutes to develop crust on the second side. Place the pan into the oven to continue cooking until desired doneness, approximately 6 minutes for medium-rare.

Remove the pan from oven, transfer the steaks to a plate and allow to rest before slicing and serving.

For the blue cheese butter:

Place the butter and blue cheese into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and pulse until just combined; set aside.

For the french fries (frites):

Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick planks then cut each plank into 1/4-inch fries. Place fries in large bowl of cold water, fully submerged.

Heat oil in a large, straight-sided skillet to 325 F. Drain fries well using a colander and blot excess moisture off with paper towels. Working in batches, fry them for 3 to 4 minutes until they're a pale blonde color, transferring, using a spider, to a paper towel-lined sheet pan.

Increase the heat of the oil to 375 F and fry the potatoes again, working in batches, until golden brown. Remove them with a spider and transfer to a large bowl. While hot, season them with salt and pepper and toss thoroughly.

To serve:

Slice steaks and top with blue cheese butter. Sprinkle with chives and serve with hot fries and condiments of your choosing.