Steak Mock Frites Recipe (2024)

Steam the baby potatoes instead of boiling them. Less chance of them splitting and getting water logged, and it eliminates the need to dry the potatoes. Plus, you can steam them and flatten them ahead of time, and crisp them later. I prefer to do the crimping in olive oil and some fresh rosemary (with a nice crunchy Maldon salt) but up to you.

Made the potatoes on a preheated cast iron skillet and they came out great. Instead of putting extra oil on top, I turned them over when the bottoms were brown. Total time took about 30 minutes. They were wonderfully crispy and looked just as they do in the photo.

'Mock Frites' is a really cute name, but let's just call them 'smashed potatoes!' And, to make them really tasty, add some butter to the oil, a little balsamic vinegar and some garlic and herbs!

i've known them as 'bashed' potatoes as they call them in New Zealand. i've done all sorts of variations. my favorite is put on a little butter & cheddar cheese (or any cheese) and broil them til brown & crispy. we then top them with sour cream, chives, bacon, anything you like on a baked potato... they're even good cold!

After smashing the potatoes, they can be pan fried to crispness in a slick of olive oil. No oven heat works for me!

I've cooked these twice. Both times, the frites were not crisp at the end of the prescribed time, at the correct temperature. I found that if you turned the oven off and went off to do other things for 20-30 minutes, they were perfect.
I may have used to much olive oil. More of a shower than a drizzle.

Dont smash potatoes to less than an inch---too thin! Celery salt adds great flavor to the mock frites.

A "C grade" potato is one that is 1.5 inches in diameter, or less. However, I have found that any small round potato works well in this recipe.

I also found that starting the steak just after the potatoes go in the oven gives you plenty of time for the all important resting time for the steak.

Use 4 tbls of butter for two people & leave skins on the
potatoes to keep them together when mushed.

Do any of these writers live in homes or apartments with normal ventilation? Unless you want the FD to show up reduce the pan to med-high and add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. Just make sure the skillet is fully hot when you add the oil, and use a splash guard. And if your oven is smoky you can reduce it to 400.

I always disconnect the fire alarm first. Not that I don't love looking at firemen but why waste their time?

If one cooks a 1" steak that long it will be more than well done. More like 2 - 3 min at the most on both sides. I cook mine about 2 1/2 min peer side beginning with the steak frozen. Of course it ends up being very rare.
The benefit - the result is moist having had no time to lose any of the juices.

Made exactly as the recipe said, except my steaks were beef tenderloin, about 1 1/2 inch thick each. I resisted the urge to tweak (butter on the potatoes? Olive oil instead of neutral oil?) and everyone raved about the results. Winner!

Used small red potatoes and small yellow yukons. The yukons were better., Also maybe line the pan sheet so it doesn't burn the pan with parchment.

Boneless Colorado Ribeye. Did larger 3 inch, Red San Luis Valley potatoes, and applied some of the butter to them after roasting. Amazing! Never use Canola oil for anything. It's poisonous. Used EVOO of course.

The potatoes butter components are now on regular weekend rotation in my house, though like others I have gone my own way with the meat (the canola oil with the steak is so… canola-y tasting). The potatoes are still delicious even if they crumble apart a bit more than the photo suggests.

For our first steak dinner since my dental work was completed, and my husband's dietary restrictions eased, we chose this--and found that the 'mock frites', made with small red potatoes was one of the best vegetables we have had in a long time of limited diets.

I cooked only the potatoes, and no.

Easy and great take on classic.

I microwave the potatoes first to save time. Also keeps them dry.

DRY OFF the steaks with paper towels before you put them in the hot fat. I like to use a combination of avocado oil and ghee for the steaks.

These are great! I've had success doing a variation, even on a weeknight. Par-cook potatoes in a microwave and allow to cool enough to handle. While still warm, smash semi flat as described. On a grill, heat a cast iron pan, fajita pan, or grill mat to cook with spritzes of your favorite cooking oil, butter, or even bacon grease for something over the top. Cook until golden-plus. Season with salt and pepper.

I put the potatoes in a plastic bag, poke a fork in them to release the steam, make sure there’s some moisture ie water, and cook them in the microwave. Timesaving and very efficient.

This was sooooo good. 4 minutes side one, two minutes side two. Served on garlic toast. Butter a must. Solid 10/10.

I made smashed fingerlings the other day in the airfryer. Put whole potatoes in there with olive oil and salt for 20 minutes - they were crispy on the outside. Took them out and smashed them and put them back in air fryer for 10 more minutes with a little more olive oil and salt. They got good reviews.

Best potatoes ever. Glass is better than a masher. Herbs, spices… try them all!

Loved this - made everything in just over an hour and Husband thought it was worthy of a special occasion meal. I don’t have a proper kitchen exhaust so it did set off my smoke alarm for a moment. Thankfully, I had just purchased a “Frywall” and that kept the cooktop splatter at a minimum.