Steak frites, but make it a burger? Probably the best idea I’ve had in a while. This steak au poivre burger is simple, easy and so freakin’ delicious. We’re taking a classic French restaurant dish, adding smoke flavor from a live fire and making it a handheld. What you get from that combination: an absolutely off the charts burger. You’ll want to make this steak au poivre burger for everything from a fancy dinner at home to a tailgate with friends!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love the Steak au Poivre Burger
- Steak au Poivre Burger Ingredients
- How to Cut Shoestring Fries
- JUST DROPPED.
- How to Make the Steak Au Poivre Burger
- What to Serve with Steak au Poivre Burgers
- Leftovers and Reheating
- All Steak Frites, All the Time
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Steak au Poivre Burger Recipe
Why You’ll Love the Steak au Poivre Burger
Burgers are like the blank canvas of a backyard cookout. Bacon, cheese, jalapeños, garlic butter — there’s something for everyone when it comes to burgers. I’ve even used croissants for the buns!
Now that we’ve all got French pastries on the brain, let’s spend some time on the classic French preparation of au poivre. Au poivre literally translates to “with pepper,” and you typically see the dish as a peppercorn-crusted steak with a creamy pan sauce. I did my own version of steak au poivre and thought the flavors were incredible. It seemed like a recipe that would translate really well to a burger preparation, so I gave it a shot! So glad I did. I stuck with the whisky to deglaze the skillet for the peppercorn sauce, and it’s so freakin’ delicious with this cheeseburger. You could even cook the burger and sauce in the same skillet if you’re trying to save on dishes!
Looking for more steak au poivre? Check out my recipe for Steak Au Poivre Sliders!
Steak au Poivre Burger Ingredients
- Burgers: We’ll use ground beef for our burgers, topped with slices of American cheese and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- Fries: Making your own fries is definitely worth it. Grab some russet potatoes, cut into shoestrings, plus a quart of beef tallow and kosher salt to taste.
- Whisky Peppercorn Sauce: This sauce totally levels up the burger. You’ll need beef stock, heavy cream, your favorite whisky, crushed black peppercorns, green peppercorns, finely chopped shallots and a neutral oil.
How to Cut Shoestring Fries
To prep your russet potatoes for perfect shoestring fries on your steak au poivre burger, you have a couple options.
- Use a mandoline. If you’ve got one of these handy tools at home, it’s a super easy way to cut your shoestring fries. Peel the potato first, then attach your 1/8-inch julienne/matchstick blade or teeth to your mandoline. You can also cut a tiny slice off the bottom of the potato to give you a stable base as you’re cutting. Then, put on your safety glove (PROMISE ME YOU’RE PUTTING ON YOUR SAFETY GLOVE!) and slide the potato down the mandoline track across the julienne teeth. As the potato gets smaller and smaller, use your safety hand guard to protect your fingers. If you can’t tell, we’re big on mandoline safety around here! Those blades are crazy sharp.
- Cut the fries by hand. No mandoline? No desire to slice your fingers? No problem! Just use a sharp chef’s knife to slice your peeled potato into thin 1/8-inch planks. Then, stack those planks and cut them lengthwise into 1/8-inch matchstick. Voila: shoestring fries. It takes a little longer than the mandoline but gets the job done.
THE COWBOY COLLECTION
JUST DROPPED.
Cowboy butter brings rich, garlicky heat. Cowboy Candy brings sweet fire with a brown sugar kick. Both built to perform over the fire – just like we like it.
How to Make the Steak Au Poivre Burger
Making the Fries
Let’s start with the humble potato! Whatever method you’re using, cut your 2-3 russet potatoes into thin cut shoestring fries and place them in a bowl of ice water. Let them soak until you are ready to start cooking.
Next, heat up a Dutch oven or large skillet with 1 quart beef tallow until the tallow reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry off your fries and add them to the beef tallow.
We’re going to cook the fries in 2-3 batches so they don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook the first batch for about 3-4 minutes, pulling them out and letting them cool for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the fries back to the pan and fry again until they are golden brown (about 4-5 more minutes). Once the fries are done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to catch the excess oil.
To finish your shoestring fries, add them to a bowl along with some kosher salt to taste and toss to evenly coat them. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Prepping the Sauce
For the whisky peppercorn sauce, which is the backbone of this steak au poivre burger, grab a skillet a place it over medium heat. Add your 1 teaspoon neutral oil to the skillet, then drop in a tablespoon of finely chopped shallots. Soften your shallots for 2-3 minutes.
Once your shallots are softened, deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of your favorite whisky. Scrape up those freakin’ delicious browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Next, add the 3/4 cup beef stock and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture reduce by half.
When you’ve reduced the mixture, lower the heat of the skillet, then add the 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon green peppercorns and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir the sauce continuously until it’s thickened.
Grilling the Burgers
Let’s make some burgers! Heat your fire to a medium high temperature (around 375-400 degrees F). Add a cast iron skillet or flat skillet oven over the fire.
Make burger balls out of 1-2 pounds of ground beef. Then, add your burger balls to the skillet, season with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder and let crisp up for 30 seconds.
Next, we’ll smash the burger patties by placing parchment paper over one ball and then firmly pressing with the spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet. Repeat this for each burger and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Carefully flip each burger over and then season the new side with salt, pepper and garlic. You’ll use 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, 1.5 tablespoons black pepper and 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder for all your burgers. Top each burger with a slice of American cheese and let melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull each burger off the grill and let those bad boys rest.
Serve the burgers with a toasted bun, sauce, double patties, more sauce and fries. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Steak au Poivre Burgers
These au poivre flavors pack a punch, so you’re good to keep it simple on the sides. Some creamed spinach, a simple green salad or some grilled asparagus would be perfect to round out this burger bonanza. Make yourself an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan with the rest of that whisky, too!
Leftovers and Reheating
If you have leftover steak au poivre burgers, store your leftover cooked patties, fries and sauce separately in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. When you’re ready to reheat them, preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add a small amount of oil and then reheat the patties for about 2-3 minutes on each side. For the sauce, reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat until warm.
All Steak Frites, All the Time
FAQs
Beyond just looking pretty, the two different types of peppercorns add depth and flavor to the dish. Black peppercorns are picked right before ripening, then dried in the sun until the skin darkens and wrinkles. That process gives them a deep, sharp heat. Green peppercorns are milder, brighter and fruitier, since they’re picked fully unripe. The combination is great for this steak au poivre burger!
Sure! Brandy or cognac would work, and they’re actually very classic in a French au poivre preparation. I do love the whisky flavor here though for something different. If you want to skip the alcohol altogether, just add a little extra beef stock with a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
Soaking draws out excess starch from the potatoes, which helps the fries crisp up and prevents them from sticking together in the oil. Don’t skip this step! It makes a big difference in texture.
The first fry cooks the potato through. Then, the second fry at higher heat creates that golden, crispy exterior. This double-fry method is actually the same technique that most restaurants use. So, you’ve got the industry secret to crispy fries!
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
Steak au Poivre Burger
Ingredients
Beef:
- 1-2 lbs Ground Beef
- 6-8 slices American Cheese
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
Fries:
- 2-3 Russet Potatoes shoestring
- 1 qt Beef Tallow
- Kosher Salt as needed
Whisky Peppercorn Sauce:
- ¾ cup Beef Stock
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ⅓ cup Favorite Whiskey
- 1 tbsp Crushed Black Peppercorn
- 1 tbsp Green Peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Shallots
- 1 tsp Neutral Oil
Instructions
Fries:
- To begin, slice your potatoes into thin cut shoestring fries and place them in a bowl of ice water. Let them soak until you are ready to start cooking.
- Heat up a dutch oven/skillet with beef tallow until the tallow is 350F. Dry off your fries and add them to the beef tallow.
- Cook the first time for about 3-4 minutes, pulling them out and letting them cool for 2-3 minutes (Note: Do the fries in 2-3 batches so as to not overcrowd the pan).
- Then, add the fries back to the pan and fry again until they are golden brown (about 4-5 more minutes). Once the fries are done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to catch the excess oil.
- Add the fries to a bowl along with some salt and toss to evenly coat them. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Sauce:
- In a skillet over medium heat, add your oil and soften your shallots for 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze with whiskey and scrap the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer and let reduce by half.
- Lower the heat of the skillet, then add the peppercorns and heavy cream and stir continuously until thickened.
Burgers:
- Heat your fire to a medium high temperature (around 375-400F). Add a cast iron skillet or flat skillet oven over the fire.
- First, add your bacon to the skillet and cook until they are done to your liking. Once done, pull them off and set aside.
- Next, add your burger balls to the skillet, season with SPG and let crisp up for 30 seconds. Next, place the parchment over one ball and then firmly press with the spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet.
- Repeat this for each burger and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip each burger over and then season the new side with salt, pepper and garlic. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and let melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull each burger off and rest.
- Serve the burgers with toasted bun, sauce, double patties, more sauce and fries. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a mandoline. If you’ve got one of these handy tools at home, it’s a super easy way to cut your shoestring fries. Peel the potato first, then attach your 1/8-inch julienne/matchstick blade or teeth to your mandoline. You can also cut a tiny slice off the bottom of the potato to give you a stable base as you’re cutting. Then, put on your safety glove (PROMISE ME YOU’RE PUTTING ON YOUR SAFETY GLOVE!) and slide the potato down the mandoline track across the julienne teeth. As the potato gets smaller and smaller, use your safety hand guard to protect your fingers. If you can’t tell, we’re big on mandoline safety around here! Those blades are crazy sharp.
- Cut the fries by hand. No mandoline? No desire to slice your fingers? No problem! Just use a sharp chef’s knife to slice your peeled potato into thin 1/8-inch planks. Then, stack those planks and cut them lengthwise into 1/8-inch matchstick. Voila: shoestring fries. It takes a little longer than the mandoline but gets the job done.
