This gourmet steak au poivre with potatoes au gratin will make you feel so good inside. We're approaching Valentine's Day so I thought a special dinner for two would be appropriate for all you love birds out there. Steak is expensive to order at any restaurant so I'm here to save you a ton of money. I bought two filet mignon steaks for about $14. Two steaks!! That is $7 per steak. As you can see I'm very good at math. At a restaurant you will pay $25-30 per steak. So let me make this easy for you: steak au poivre with potatoes au gratin is what you will be serving your honey for Valentine's Day.
What is Steak Au Poivre?
In short, steak au poivre is a cracked pepper encrusted filet mignon served with a cognac cream sauce. It's best to use fresh whole peppercorns and grind them with a mortar & pestle if you have it. If not, you can put the peppercorns in a plastic bag and pound with a mallet or pan to grind them. They should be coarse and will be used to create a crust on the top of your steaks.
The Best Steak au Poivre I Ever Had Was in Brooklyn
I used to visit a friend in Brooklyn and she suggested we have dinner at little bistro called Quercy. She mentioned they had really good steak au poivre and we should get that. I was totally into it. The restaurant was tiny with a sweet blue and white checkered floor and swooping burgundy drapes at the entrance, like you're entering a theatre. I loved that detail.
We both ordered the steak au poivre and you could choose your side and one of the side options was potatoes au gratin. It's very rare to find a restaurant that serves potatoes au gratin so this was very exciting for me, since... I was going to say since potatoes are my favorite food, then decided against it, then decided yes, I should say this one more time. I love potatoes and if you visit my website frequently, (which of course you do) I mention this every chance I get. I'm obsessed with potatoes and it's my desert island food. Were I to be trapped on an island with only one food I could eat forever, it would be potatoes.
The Quercy steak au poivre with potatoes au gratin was cooked to perfection and the potatoes were addicting. Every time. Totally consistent. The peppery crust on top, just enough cracked pepper in the sauce. There was never a morsel of food left behind. This became our regular place when I came to visit. And I know, there is an amazing sauce with the steak, and the potatoes au gratin has a cheesy saucy thing going on too. Is that too much sauce? No. The two sauces meet in the middle of the plate, become best friends and do a little dance together.
The Perfect Meat and Potatoes Dish for Valentine's Day
Even though there is a mildly fancy sauce, this meal is not hard to make and it won't break the bank. Going out to dinner is going to cost you, for the steak dinner alone, a good $30 per person. Apart from the $14 it cost for TWO filet mignon steaks, the only other slightly pricey ingredient is the cognac which will be about $8-12. The other costs are incidental: a few potatoes, onion, garlic, peppercorns, butter, potatoes and cheese.
How to Make Potatoes Au Gratin
Easy Steps to Making Steak au Poivre:
Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone No Matter What Your Relationship Status is
This is a day for love. All kinds of love. You might be with your partner, your BFFs or your family. It doesn't really matter. But if you can spend the day with people you care the most about it will be a great day. Even better if you can make homemade food and simply enjoy the evening. I encourage all of you to get into your kitchens and try something new. Preparing meals and gathering around a table is an important part of the human experience. It gives us a chance to talk and engage and share our lives. And especially on Valentine's Day - share our love. 💕
Need More Ideas for Awesome Food? I Understand.
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Dinner for Two: Steak au Poivre with Potatoes Au Gratin
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 portions 1x
Description
Dinner for two just got a whole lot better. I've got a gourmet steak au poivre with potatoes au gratin for your special Valentine's dinner.
Ingredients
For the Potatoes au Gratin
- 3 medium Yukon potatoes
- 2 ½ tablespoons finely diced onion
- 1 ½ cups cubed American cheese
- 1 ¼ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
For the Steak
- 2 beef tenderloin steaks, 1 inch thick (aka filet mignon)
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns, crushed coarsely
- Salt (see note #1)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the Sauce
- Drippings from cooking the steaks
- 3 tablespoon of butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons finely diced onion
- ½ teaspoon finely diced garlic
- ⅓ cup cognac (I used Hennessey)
- ½ cup beef broth
- ¼ teaspoon fresh crushed peppercorns
- ¼ cup heavy cream (might not need all of it)
Optional garnish
- Chopped parsley
NOTE: You will need an 11x7 baking dish for the potatoes
Instructions
- Start with the potatoes au gratin first. Cube your American cheese and shred the white cheddar. I used sliced American cheese from the deli and cut the slices into thick strips and then into cubes. Set the cheese aside.
- Peel your potatoes and set aside.
- Finely dice the onions for the potatoes and for the au poivre sauce. Divide them into two small ramekins.
- Slice the potatoes into rounds that are about ¼” in thickness. Line the potatoes in rows in an 11”x7” baking dish. Should be able to do three rows.
- Sprinkle the onions over the top of the potatoes, then salt, then add the cubed American cheese and shredded cheddar to the top as well.
- Pour milk over the top of the potatoes.
- Line a sheet pan with foil and place your potatoes on top of that. The potatoes will likely bubble over while cooking so it’s good to cook them on a sheet pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
- If you are using the optional parsley garnish, you should chop that now.
- Finely chop the garlic.
- Take the whole fresh peppercorns and grind them in a mortar & pestle if you have one. Add the peppercorns to the mortar and put a small piece of plastic wrap over the pepper. This will prevent them from flying out and making a mess as you grind them. We’re looking for coarsely ground pepper here. If you don’t have a mortar/pestle, see note #2 below for alternative method.
- Place your steaks on a plate or small sheet pan to season. You’ll need a light sprinkling of salt on the top and bottom of the steak.
- Next, add some of the coarse pepper to the top of the steak. You should create a thin layer of pepper here and press down gently as you add it to the top. This is “pepper steak” and when you cook the steak the pepper will become a crisp coating on the top. You won’t use all the pepper here, just enough to coat the top.
- Plan your time with when you start cooking the steaks. It’s good to let the steaks sit on the counter after they’ve been seasoned for about 15 minutes or so. The potatoes take 40-45 minutes. Consider starting to cook the steaks after the potatoes have been cooking for about 30-35 minutes.
- Heat canola oil in a pan on medium-high heat until it’s hot. Add the steaks to the pan pepper side down. Let them cook for 5 minutes – don’t touch. Turn the steaks and cook another 4-5 minutes for medium rare. Additionally, you can turn the steaks on their sides and hold them upright for a few seconds to sear the sides as well. (see video) Cook a few additional minutes for less pink.
- The potatoes will be ready while you’re cooking the steaks. Let them cool down while you finish the steaks and make the sauce.
- After the steaks are done, transfer to a plate and turn heat down a little. Do not clean the pan – there should be some steak drippings there. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan plus the onions, garlic and a pinch of pepper if you like. Cook and stir a couple of minutes or less. Careful not to burn the garlic. The onions are finely diced and won’t take but a minute or two to be translucent.
- Carefully add the cognac to the pan. Be careful it can catch on fire. Either turn down the heat to add or remove pan from the burner to add.
- Turn the heat back to medium and stir the cognac with the onions, garlic and butter. It will take a few minutes at a simmery, light boil for the cognac to reduce by about ¾. My video shows the whole process very well.
- Once the cognac is reduced, add the beef broth and whisk the mixture. The beef broth needs to be reduced by half which will take 2-3 minutes.
- Once the beef broth has reduced the sauce should have a dark color. Time to add the heavy cream a little at a time. You might not need all the cream. I prefer a darker sauce so I didn’t use all of it. Whisk the cream into the sauce, then add 1 tablespoon of butter to help thicken.
- There will be steak juice on the plate where you were resting the steaks. Add that juice to the sauce. Another pinch of pepper if you like. Taste it here. I didn’t think it needed any salt because of the salt from the steaks. If you think it needs a pinch you can add that. Give it one final stir and turn the heat off to let it thicken a bit more.
- Time to plate the food and eat the bite. Place one steak on each plate along with a couple of scoops of the potatoes au gratin. Spoon the sauce over the steaks. Garnish with optional chopped parsley if you want. Enjoy!
Notes
- I know sometimes people don’t like to see salt “to taste” on a recipe. But when it comes to salting certain things, you just have to eyeball it. I suggest a light sprinkling of salt on the top and bottom of your steak. My video shows this well. I don’t know the size of the steaks you bought or the thickness. A light sprinkling on the top and bottom is the best I can advice you.
- Alternative for crushing the peppercorns if you don't have a mortar & pestle. Double bag two slider bags and add peppercorns to the bag. Crush the peppercorns with a kitchen mallet or a pan. We’re looking for a coarsely ground pepper here.
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