How to Make Perfect Steak Tartare

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Food

How to Make Perfect Steak Tartare

It's trickier than you'd think.

On the spectrum of easy dinner options, you'd think steak tartare would be somewhere between shrimp cocktail and fancy AF boxed mac and cheese. You've probably already got most of the ingredients in your house, and you don't even have to turn on the stove or oven. There is literally no cooking involved.

But steak tartare is a little trickier than you'd expect.

Making a passable version isn't terribly difficult—just buy a great cut of meat (seriously, now is not the time to be a cheapskate) and you're halfway there—but perfecting this French classic is a whole other story. That's why we got Julien Ponthieu from Les Valseuses in Berlin to show us how it's done.

RECIPE: Steak Tartare

Preparing the meat is simple enough: trim the fat, cut it in small pieces, then return it to the fridge so you don't get everyone sick.

It's the tartare sauce that takes the real skill. The process involves mixing egg yolks with mustard and ketchup, then stirring in sunflower oil at just the right pace before carefully adding Worcestershire sauce and cognac. It's all about balance and timing.

But with a little help from our friend Julien, you can do it. And if you screw it up, you can always make that Fancy AF Mac and Cheese.