Name: Steppegras
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Belgian
Ingredients: 1 kg waxy potatoes; sunflower oil, for deep-frying; salt; 4 steaks (sirloin or fillet); 50 g butter; pepper; salt; 250 g mushrooms; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 1 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp flour; 100 ml beef stock; 200 ml whipping cream; 1 tsp mustard; pepper; salt; 1 head of lettuce (butterhead or romaine); 2 tomatoes; ½ cucumber; 1 tsp mustard; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp vinegar; 3 tbsp olive oil; salt and pepper

A classic Belgian plate, known for its pile of wafer-thin, crispy fries, the “steppe grass”. Together with a juicy steak, creamy mushroom sauce and a fresh salad, it makes a delicious, complete dish.

Method

Prepare the steppe grass

Peel the potatoes and cut them into extremely thin strips with a mandoline or julienne slicer. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Heat sunflower oil to 140 °C and fry the strips in small batches for 1 minute; set aside.

Mushroom cream sauce

Fry the mushrooms with the finely chopped shallot in a knob of butter until soft and they release their moisture; pour into a small bowl. In the same pan melt the butter, add the flour and stir to a roux. Add the stock little by little to make a smooth sauce. Add the mushrooms with their liquid, the cream and mustard, season and leave to thicken gently.

Salad

Wash the lettuce and tear into coarse pieces. Dice the tomato and cucumber and mix with the lettuce. Make a vinaigrette from the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss through the salad.

Fry the steaks

Season the steaks generously. Heat butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook to your liking: rare 2 min per side, medium 3–4 min per side, well done 5–6 min per side. Take out and leave to rest for 5 minutes under foil.

Finish the steppe grass

Heat the frying oil to 180 °C. Fry the pre-cooked strips until golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt straight away.

Serve

Place the steaks on the plates and spoon the mushroom cream sauce over them. Top with a generous pile of crispy steppe grass and serve the salad alongside.

Tips & notes

The thinner the potato strips, the crispier the steppe grass. A mandoline with a julienne blade is worth its weight in gold here. Best served immediately and crispy; store leftovers in the fridge and reheat them in the oven or air fryer (not the microwave) to bring back the crispness.

Variations

Replace the homemade fries with ready-made fine frites to save time.
Add a splash of cognac to the mushroom cream sauce for extra depth.

Contains: Gluten Milk Mustard Sulphites

Nutritional values per serving
Calories	739 kcal
Protein	20 g
Carbohydrates	54 g
Fat	50 g
Fibre	8 g

Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.

Steppegras