(Credit to BBC Good Food)
By Natalie Hardwick - Senior writer
From steakhouse classics to less traditional accompaniments, we’ve put together our favourite side dishes to serve with steak.
Planning the perfect steak dinner involves devoting adequate time to your side dishes, too. Served with a simple salad, a steak can be a lean, nutritious supper, while adding puddles of sauce and mountains of fries makes the whole thing much more decadent. Get inspired by our ideas for sauces, vegetables, potatoes and beyond.
Firstly, perfect your steak…
Our guide to cooking the perfect steak will help you with timings and techniques, while our guide to creating the perfect steak dinner will help you choose your cut, accompanying drinks and cooking methods.
Then… choose your sides
Sauces
Some folk would say you can’t have a steak supper without a dollop of sauce. To them, we say: try one of our favourites…
Bearnaise: A classic French sauce with a slight vinegar tang and peppering of fresh tarragon.
Pesto: Not the traditional basil-based green sauce as you know it, but a steak-friendly blend of watercress, chilli and hazelnuts.
Barbecue: This diner condiment may not be the most refined of sauces, but making your own adds a nice touch.
Mushroom: A blend of wild ceps, white wine, soft herbs, Parmesan and crème fraîche makes for an earthy accompaniment.
Flavoured butter: Try garlic & parsley, chilli, coriander & lime, or horseradish & chive.
Chimichurri: A coarse South American sauce of chopped parsley, garlic, shallots and chilli. Great served with a glass of Malbec.
Hollandaise: Try adding fresh basil to this buttery French sauce.
Peppercorn: The classic steak sauce. Ditch the packet version and whip up your own in mere minutes.
Weeping tiger dressing: Get the water on standby – this Asian-inspired dressing has a fierce kick thanks to lots of green chilli.
Shallot and red wine reduction: Deglaze the pan using a traditional bistro sauce.
Pizzaiola sauce: A pizza-style sauce to give an Italian edge to your steak supper.
Potatoes
Sometimes, nothing other than classic steak and chips will do. Try one of our favourite recipes:
Chunky oven chips: Bypass a bubbling vat of oil and cook these fat chips in the oven.
Traditional chips: Or, if you’re feeling a bit cheffy, you could deep-fry your chips. You can use the oil for onion rings, too.
Matchstick chips: Thin and crispy chipsticks that are great for dipping.
Shoestring fries: Burger restaurant-style thin potato fries.
Sweet potato fries: A little lighter than your average spud, sweet potatoes make delicious wedges and work well in the oven.
Dauphinoise: If you have an hour or two on your hands, create this classic layered potato bake.
Potato salad: Skip the retro mayonnaise and dress your potatoes with vinegar and olive oil.
Mashed potatoes: With garlic, mustard or horseradish.
Hasselback roast potatoes: These slashed potatoes have a crispy finish.
Baked skinny fries: If you’re concerned with the calorific hit of a full-on steak dinner, try baking your fries.
Extra sides
Macaroni cheese: Go US-style and serve a small portion of mac ‘n’ cheese on the side.
Tomatoes: Half a grilled tomato is a steakhouse classic. Bring out the sweet flavour with a splash of vinegar.
Cheese and chive slaw: With mature cheddar and mustard for flavour.
Asian-style slaw: This crunchy mix would be good with our teriyaki steak.
Red cabbage and fennel slaw: Aniseedy fennel works really well with meat.
Roasted vegetables: Try a combination of sweet potato, peppers, green beans and tomatoes.
Runner beans: Make the most of this often-overlooked legume by adding a knob of shallot butter.
Curly kale: This fashionable green will add some guilt-easing nutrition to your plate.
Creamed spinach: Or, take the opposite approach and coat your greens in indulgent single cream.
Mushrooms: Another traditional accompaniment. Try them devilled, roasted or with cream.
Peas: Take it back to the old school with a serving of peas.
Side salad: Keep it minimal and go for a classic watercress or flat-leaf parsley salad, or flip the notion on its head and serve your steak and chips in the salad.
Bruschetta: Use your seared steak to top Italian-style toast with beef’s favourite cheese - Stilton.
Refried beans: Go Mexican with a portion of spiced pinto and black beans.
Onion rings: In a result that surprised the BBC Good Food team, one of the most-searched for terms on our site on Valentine’s Day 2012 was ‘onion rings’. Are they the new food of love? Go all Romeo on the situation and follow our video guide to deep-frying, or try them baked if you prefer.
Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-serve-steak
