Like most Francophiles, when we are not traveling to French-speaking (and -eating) destinations, we are at home, dreaming of them and inspired by them as we cook the foods we love. Steak frites is the definitive French bistro dish; our portobello version features a juicy red wine reduction that sings with tarragon and a touch of Dijon. You can easily make restaurant-crisp fries at home with the Vedge method: start with baked potatoes, then crisp them up in a little oil.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Puncture each potato with a fork three times, sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of the coarse sea salt, and wrap individually in foil. Bake until tender to the touch, about 40 minutes. Unwrap the potatoes and let cool; when cool enough to handle, cut each into eight wedges. Set aside.
Step 2
2. While the potatoes are cooling, whisk together the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the garlic, pepper, and shallots in a small bowl.
Step 3
3. Place the portobello caps on a sheet pan with rimmed edges and coat them evenly on both sides with the olive oil mixture, leaving them rounded sides up. Roast until soft in the middle, 8 to 12 minutes.
Step 4
4. Transfer the portobello caps to a plate, still rounded sides up, and set aside to cool. Pour the wine, vegetable stock, and mustard onto the warm sheet pan to mix with the mushroom cooking juices. Scrape any solids off the tray, then carefully pour this mixture into a large saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 5
5. Stir the tarragon into the red wine sauce. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Step 6
6. In a large sauté pan, heat the canola oil over high heat. When the oil is very hot, carefully fry a few potato wedges at a time until they turn brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the frites as they are done to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 7
7. Reheat the portobello caps in the oven if necessary. Serve smothered with red wine sauce and frites on the side.
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Reviews (5)
Back to TopEvery recipe by Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby is a winner in my book! A must-try for mushroom lovers.
MadlyMadlyHungry
Springfield, VA
4/10/2014
Made this tonight with a few changes. First off, be careful of adding 1 tsp of salt to the marinade. Maybe because I added a tiny bit of tamari and some beef stock to the wine sauce (because it was very stringent even after cooking down) but it was too salty for my taste. As a fledgling vegetarian, I still had some beef stock left in my larder, so figured...wtf. Right before serving, I reheated the mushrooms with a little bit of fresh mozzarella on top, and then spooned the sauce over. I served with sauteed fresh spinach with garlic, and sweet potato fries. Very satisfying - wish I had more. Yum yummingtons. Will make next time without the beef stock - simmer longer and add a few more herbs - and maybe white wine instead.
madamex232
East Lyme, CT
3/20/2014
Made this tonight with a few alterations. First off, I would say, 1 tsp of salt in the marinade is way too much. Maybe because I added a little bit of tamari and some beef stock to round out the wine sauce, which was a bit stringent to begin with. As a fledgling vegetarian, I still had some beef stock left and used it - with great results. I also added some fresh rosemary to the sauce, and right before serving, I reheated the mushrooms with a bit of fresh mozzarella on top. Then I spooned the sauce over them and served with sauteed fresh spinach with olive oil and garlic. Didn't make the potatoes, used frozen sweet potato fries and dipped in dijon mustard. Very satisfying - wish I had more! Next time will try to make without the beef stock and maybe simmer longer...
madamex232
East Lyme, CT
3/20/2014
abono - you can rate the recipe without writing a review.
curi0us
10/25/2013
How does this recipe get four forks when nobody gave this recipe a review?
abono
Dix Hills, NY (Long Island)
10/23/2013
