Looking for recs for nice steak and chips

[Satsuma]

OH and I want a nice steak and chips this week.

What steak, what chips would you recommend?

I'll be cooking the meat in a cast-iron griddle pan, and I prefer a cut which has a edge of fat which goes sort of crispy. Unlikely to want a sauce on the side but open to recommendations.
I would rather buy some form of chip if possible, as making them sounds rather tedious. I do not have a deep fat fryer either, so am guessing some form of pre-prepared/chilled option might be best here? Sadly our favourite chip shop is currently closed for renovations atm.

I have at my disposal the usual supermarkets and a good but pretty pricey butcher. Also a farm shop butchery but not sure that's any better than the local one.

MTIA
Sats

[AleisterCrowley]

We 'did' steak recently - hope link works

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4305&hilit=steak

[redsturgeon]

For an edge of fat though you need a sirloin rather than a rib eye (my favourite) but definitely go for the 28 day aged...Aldi do some at about 4 quid a steak which is considerably cheaper than the M&S version and tastes similar.

For chips, unless making your own triple cooked, which I have done but admit it is a bit of a faff, McCain's gastro chips have had some good write ups although I have not tried them.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product ... =293723278

John

[Satsuma]

We 'did' steak recently - hope link works

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4305&hilit=steak

I think my next post should be to DAK asking about recs for good opticians as I totally did not spot that thread when browsing the topics just now! Thanks

For an edge of fat though you need a sirloin rather than a rib eye (my favourite) but definitely go for the 28 day aged...Aldi do some at about 4 quid a steak which is considerably cheaper than the M&S version and tastes similar.

Ooh good to know thanks. We have an Aldi a few miles away I can nip over to. Or a Lidl much closer if they might have similar 28-day aged? [hopeful]

For chips, unless making your own triple cooked, which I have done but admit it is a bit of a faff, McCain's gastro chips have had some good write ups although I have not tried them.

OK, another good tip thanks.

Looking forward to it now!

[swill453]

We have an Aldi a few miles away I can nip over to. Or a Lidl much closer if they might have similar 28-day aged? [hopeful]

Yes they do, just bought some a couple of hours ago. 227g 28-day matured Scotch beef rib eye for £4.69.

Scott.

[Satsuma]

Excellent thanks Scott!

[tea42]

Aldi's matured steaks are consistently good. We like fillets because we have them once a week and we watch our weight, but they do all other sorts too. The best oven chips we have found are McCains Home Chips (Iceland) after trying all sorts of supermarket own brands and McCains 5% fat. Home Chips are really chunky and crisp up very nicely in a non fan oven. Our fan oven tend to burn the edges. We always do fried white onions, fried mushrooms with lots of garlic and some peas of course. One weekly ritual that's very nice and not really too expensive.

[DiamondEcho]

I am amazed to see Aldi/Lidl sell 28-day aged steaks, but I've been away for several years. Those chains used to be discounters of more basic products

@ Satsuma.
My own personal taste is a smaller steak of a higher quality than a slab of meat that needs 'dissecting'. [I'm not a 'fussy'/picky eater, but with a steak I like to get eating while it's hot vs starting prep work on it ]. I suppose there is always the compromise of fine texture/smaller cut/less flavour/less 'dissecting' at one end of the scale - like fillet. Vs at the other less fine texture/more flavour/more dissecting, at the other - rib-eye/sirloin/rump > flank? A muscle that works hard like flank is tougher but has more flavour. A muscle that works less like fillet, that's main role is providing balance, is the opposite.
The way they are breeding/rearing these days means these baseline characteristics are shifting. One of the best steaks I had recently was rib-eye. Granted it was Wagyu beef, but I enjoyed it more than Wagyu fillet, as it had more flavour and was neeearly as tender.

I won't add to the discussion of chips, it seems covered already*. But I have another suggestion. Steak and chips are both rich. I'd be looking to add a side-dish that provides a bit of balance, respite, vs that richness, and looks good on the plate. Maybe simply some boiled carrots [parsley sprinkled over], or creamed spinach?


* Though doing Xmas dinner roast spuds from par-boiled spuds that have been rolled in goose fat is extremely good IME...

[Satsuma]

Update for you all..

For [irrelevant] reasons, I ended up with sirloin steak from Morrisons. It was fine, but I still plan to try the 28 day aged stuff from Aldi/Lidl as recommended in this thread (Steak and chips twice OH NO HOW WILL I COPE! )

The chips I found in Waitrose, and are now called Gorgeous Chips (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductVie ... unky+chips), not Gastro. £3.20 for a small bag (2 portions as it turned out). You need to cook them at 210degrees, in a deep tin - I used a large roaster. They have a very odd taste and the amount of dripping swilling round the tin when I shook them half way was a little alarming! They went very well with the rich meat (and garlic butter I had); but as a standalone option I think they'd be a bit too strong tasting. For next time I will probably go down the chippy route, all in the name of research of course!

All in all, a simple meal well cooked was delicious and well worth it. Many thanks to all for the suggestions.

Sats

[Donut102]

I would rather buy some form of chip if possible, as making them sounds rather tedious

This is my recipe for "rustic" chips - dead easy, and not tedious:

Oven 220. Place tray in oven with 1 tbsp. oil.
Fill kettle and bring to boil.
Get potatoes (King Edwards or Desiree work well). Don't bother peeling, but cut into chunky chips.
When kettle boiled, pour over chipped potatoes and boil for 5 mins.
Drain potatoes and transfer to oven tray, giving them a stir round to cover in the hot oil. Pop in the oven, top shelf.
After 10 mins, give another stir round.
After another 10 mins, they're done.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Enjoy