What Are Steak Fries And What Is Steak Frites?

Picture this: You just sat down at a restaurant you've been looking forward to visiting. You get situated and take a look at the enticing options listed on the menu, and among the entree items are, one) steak fries and two) steak frites. With just a single letter difference, you might have even read them as the same thing at first. So are they the same? No. Are they related? Yes, actually. Does either dish have anything to do with steak, or fries for that matter? Yes, but to varying degrees. Confused yet? Let's get into the two super-similar-sounding dishes.

To put it simply, steak fries is a term that designates a certain cut of French fry. Meanwhile, steak frites is a French/Belgian dish that consists of both steak and fries. While regular French fries are quite thin, steak fries are cut considerably thicker and are more closely related to British chips or even potato wedges, and therefore tend to be fluffier on the inside. Steak frites, meanwhile, has less restriction as to which type of fry to use, with the caveat that the fries used in a traditional steak frites dish are also thick-cut, just like steak fries. So if you thought the two nearly identical names were hints of a potential shared past, you'd be correct.

Steak fries are essentially a side dish that sprung from steak frites. Somewhere along the line, the cut of fry known now as steak fries broke away from its steak frites dish. Whether this was in the various bistros that dot the streets of culinary-rich Belgium and France or after this cuisine gained steam in the Americas is uncertain, but what is certain is that steak fries still retains its close association with steak frites. The term "steak fries" is, after all, a literal translation of the name of its parent dish — even though it's not exactly the same thing — and in some places around North America, you'll see them referred to as "steak-cut fries" (perhaps in an attempt to clear the air somewhat between this dish and steak frites).

It should definitely be noted that "steak fries" has a somewhat different meaning depending on where you are. In some places, steak fries is the name given to a French fry with a thicker but still rectangular cut. However in other regions, steak fries are synonymous with potato wedges, and feature a more triangular cut. So whether you're baking some super crispy steak fries at home or grabbing steak frites at a restaurant (where the steaks are somehow always better), you can now add another potato dish and tidbit of culinary knowledge to your arsenal. And if you want to up your fry game even more, consider this truffle oil tip to elevate your fries, no matter which cut you choose.