What is steak haché?

Steak haché is an everyday classic of the French bistrot: a steak of minced beef served without a bun, with fries and a sauce. Say it “steck ah-SHAY”; haché is French for minced or chopped. It shares its meat with a burger, but you eat it like a steak, with a knife and fork.

How well done should steak haché be?

At home, cook it through to 70 °C in the centre. On a whole steak, bacteria sit only on the surface, where the hot pan kills them. Mincing spreads them through the meat, so do not eat minced beef rare. A kitchen thermometer is the surest check.

Which beef should I buy for steak haché?

Beef with 15 to 20% fat, ideally shoulder or chuck. Lean meat from the leg turns dry once cooked. If you can, ask the butcher to mince it coarsely on the day you cook.

Can the black pepper sauce be made without alcohol?

Yes. Cognac adds depth, but you do not need it: deglaze the pan with the stock instead. The sauce stays peppery and creamy, and it also goes with a whole beef steak or pork tenderloin.

Where can I eat steak haché in Bratislava?

At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor. We serve it at lunch from 11:00 to 14:00: with black pepper sauce and fries for €11.90 (360 g), or in the Menu Bistrot with the soup of the day or a crêpe for €14.90.

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Bistrot

Steak haché with black pepper sauce

Name: Steak haché with black pepper sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 600 g minced beef with 15 to 20% fat (shoulder or chuck); salt; 1 tbsp oil; 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 15 g butter; 30 ml cognac (optional); 200 ml beef stock; 150 ml cream with at least 30% fat; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; fries for 4: homemade from 800 g potatoes and oil for deep-frying, or frozen

Steak haché is the French minced-beef steak, eaten without a bun: seared in a hot pan and served with fries and a sauce, most often black pepper.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 15 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy

In France, children eat it in school canteens and office workers order it at the bistrot on the corner. It is made from minced beef, salt and pepper only. Unlike a meatball or a Slovak fašírka, it has no egg and no bread in it. The whole dish rests on good meat and on a black pepper sauce you make in the same pan in five minutes.

Method

01
Divide the beef into four 150 g portions. Press each one gently between your palms into a patty about 2 cm thick. Do not knead it as you would for meatballs: it only needs to hold together.
02
Press a shallow dip into the centre of each patty with your thumb, so it does not puff up in the middle as it cooks. Chill the patties for 15 minutes: firm ones are easier to turn.
03
Meanwhile, crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or under the base of a heavy pan. Time the fries so they are ready together with the meat.
04
Heat the oil in a heavy pan until it shimmers. Salt the steaks on both sides as they go in and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is dark brown. Turn them, lower the heat to medium and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until a thermometer in the centre reads 70 °C. Move them to a warm plate.
05
Pour off most of the fat, keeping the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Over low heat, melt the butter, soften the shallot in it for a minute, then add the crushed pepper and toast it for 30 seconds until fragrant.
06
If you are using cognac, pour it in with the pan off the heat, as it can catch fire. Return the pan to the heat and let the cognac cook almost away. Then add the stock, scrape up the bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by half.
07
Add the cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the mustard, season with salt and return the steaks to the pan with any juices they have released. Serve at once with the fries.

Tip

Salt only the surface, as the steaks go into the pan. If you mix salt into the meat ahead of time, the steak turns dense and springy like a sausage.

Crush the pepper coarsely rather than grinding it fine. Coarse pieces give the sauce a pleasant heat, while finely ground pepper makes it murky and too sharp.

Fry homemade fries twice: first for 5 to 6 minutes at 160 °C until soft, then let them cool and fry them again at 180 °C until golden.

Frequently asked

What is steak haché?: Steak haché is an everyday classic of the French bistrot: a steak of minced beef served without a bun, with fries and a sauce. Say it “steck ah-SHAY”; haché is French for minced or chopped. It shares its meat with a burger, but you eat it like a steak, with a knife and fork.
How well done should steak haché be?: At home, cook it through to 70 °C in the centre. On a whole steak, bacteria sit only on the surface, where the hot pan kills them. Mincing spreads them through the meat, so do not eat minced beef rare. A kitchen thermometer is the surest check.
Which beef should I buy for steak haché?: Beef with 15 to 20% fat, ideally shoulder or chuck. Lean meat from the leg turns dry once cooked. If you can, ask the butcher to mince it coarsely on the day you cook.
Can the black pepper sauce be made without alcohol?: Yes. Cognac adds depth, but you do not need it: deglaze the pan with the stock instead. The sauce stays peppery and creamy, and it also goes with a whole beef steak or pork tenderloin.
Where can I eat steak haché in Bratislava?: At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor. We serve it at lunch from 11:00 to 14:00: with black pepper sauce and fries for €11.90 (360 g), or in the Menu Bistrot with the soup of the day or a crêpe for €14.90.

Rather taste than cook?

Bistrot lunch, galettes, crêpes and Sorre cider: Fresh Market, 1st floor, Monday to Saturday.

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