Steak & Fries

I developed this recipe for a Kikkoman Soy Sauce recipe contest sponsored by Johnson & Wales University. The contest challenged both current students and alumni of the university to create a new recipe using Kikkoman Soy Sauce in a new and innovative way. Now, I'm not suggesting that using soy sauce as a marinade is new or innovative, but the flavors of this dish are really amazing.

This is a take on the classic bistro dish of beefsteak and pommes frites (steak and French fries). If you ever get the opportunity to eat lunch at a quality Provencal French bistro, more than likely they will have a simple grilled or pan-seared steak with crispy-fried potatoes on the menu. The steak is usually a strip steak marinated in garlic, herbs and olive oil and the fries are freshly-cut and fried in duck fat. I had the pleasure of working in a French bistro for about 3 months once and was amazed that they filled their deep fat fryers with duck fat instead of vegetable or peanut oil. The flavor that the duck fat lends to the food is amazing. Once out of the fryer, we would toss the fries in sea salt, a lot of fresh-cracked black pepper and minced garlic. I'm getting hungry just remember those fries. Of course, I always had to test a few to ensure that the seasoning was just right. What a tough job.

On the plate, we would fan out the sliced, grilled strip steak then pile on at least two potatoes worth of fries. These things stood about eight inches off of the plate! The interesting thing is that almost all of the plates came back empty because the fries were usually shared at the table. These were the best fries anyone had ever tasted.

The sauces on that bistro steak were a garlic aioli and simple tomato and basil relish. The contrast of the creamy aioli and the piquant relish was sublime on the palate. Along with the flavorful strip steak, they combined to create a taste experience that no one could forget.

So, in the spirit of this timeless dish, I set out to create a dish that was both easy to execute and complex with bold and interesting flavors. I think that I achieved my goal. The lamb is perfect. The soy compliments the natural flavor of the meat and also bridges the meat to the sauces. The key to the marinade is the brown sugar. It lends a sweet flavor along with helping the caramelization of the meat. I got this marinade from a friend who uses a similar marinade for Chinese beef spareribs. I added the ginger and sesame oil to boost the flavor a bit. I think that this marinade will work on beef, pork, chicken and other cuts of lamb such as chops or even leg of lamb.

As for the sauces, while they may take some skill and experience to execute, they are well worth the time and effort. The mint oil really works with both the soy syrup and the lamb and is a nice alternative to mint jelly. The soy syrup will keep forever it seems and is a great sauce for grilled chicken breast with sauteed spinach and garlic. I've also used it many times with rare tuna. It really works as a light finishing touch to almost any meat you serve.

Here I serve sweet potato frites instead of the usual white potato frites. I chose this simply for the plate presentation. The brilliant orange color really jumps off of the plate and the sweet flavor works nicely with the lamb. Of course, you can substitute the traditional potatoes here or even serve a combination of the two. Go ahead, get creative with this one.



Sweet Soy Marinated Lamb Tenderloin

Ingredients:
Lamb (American): 4 - 6 oz. portions, trimmed of fat and silver skin
Garlic, fresh: 4 cloves, crushed
Ginger, fresh: 1 inch piece, minced
Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce: ¾ cup
Sesame oil: ¼ cup + 2 TBSP for saute
Brown sugar, light: 2 TBSP
Chinese mustard, spicy: 3 TBSP
Sesame seeds: 3 TBSP
Cilantro, fresh: ½ bunch, chopped fine
Green Onions: 12 each, washed and kept whole
Salt and pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:
1. In a shallow, non-reactive container, combine the garlic, ginger, Kikkoman Less Soy Sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar.
2. Marinade the lamb, covered under refrigeration, for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
3. Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry.
4. Heat 2 TBSP sesame oil in a large saute pan until smoking.
5. Pan-sear lamb on all sides until dark brown.
6. Remove lamb from pan and add whole green onions, cooking for about 1 minute. Lightly season onions with salt and pepper.
7. As green onions are cooking, brush lamb with thin layer of Chinese mustard and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.
8. Position lamb on top of green onions and cook for 7-9 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
9. Once the lamb is cooked to rare, remove the pan from the oven and allow the meat to rest on a cutting board for about 4 minutes.
10. Slice meat into 5 or 7 pieces and arrange with whole green onions on plate. Serve with sweet potato frites and both soy syrup and mint oil.

Serves 4 as a main course


Sweet Potato Frites

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes, fresh: 2 each, washed and peeled
Parsley, fresh: ¼ cup, chopped fine and dried well
Salt and pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Using a mandolin, julienne the sweet potatoes and reserve.
2. In a deep pot, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees.
3. In 2 or 3 batches, add the sweet potato and fry until potatoes begin to color (about 1 to 1 ½ minutes). Remove cooked sweet potato from the pot and allow oil to drain onto paper towels or a sheet pan with a fine rack.
4. Season potatoes immediately with salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.
5. Keep frites warm until service.
6. Toss crisp frites gently with finely-chopped parsley just before platting.

Soy Syrup

Ingredients:
Sugar, white granulated: ¾ cup
Water: ¼ cup, warm
Lemon juice, fresh: 1 tsp
Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce: ¾ cup
Lemongrass: ½ stalk, chopped

Method of Preparation:
1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, and warm water until sugar begins to dissolve. Clean saucepan sides of any residual syrup and bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue to cook, evaporating the water, until the inverted sugar begins to caramelize. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the all of the sugar has turned a deep amber color. This entire process should take about 4-5 minutes.
2. Once the sugar has caramelized to a deep amber, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce. Return the saucepan to the heat and continue to cook until all of the sugar has dissolved into the soy sauce.
3. Once all of the sugar has dissolved, remove the saucepan completely from the heat and add the chopped lemongrass. Brew the lemongrass in the syrup for 5 minutes, then strain out lemongrass using a fine strainer.
4. Cover and refrigerate the syrup immediately.

Yield: ¾-1 cup

Mint Oil

Ingredients:
Grapeseed oil: 1 ½ cup (or other mildly-flavored oil)
Mint leaves, fresh: 1 ½ cup, washed and packed tightly
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:
1. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees.
2. After the oil has reached temperature, add the mint leaves and cook the mint until the leaves turn bright green. Remove saucepan from heat and cool the oil with the leaves.
3. Once the oil cools, add the oil and leaves to the bowl of a blender and blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes.
4. Strain the oil/mint mixture through a fine strainer.
5. Season lightly with salt and white pepper.
6. Cover and refrigerate.

Yield: 1 ½ cup