Season the steak

• For the best crust, season the steak with salt and refrigerate it uncovered on a wire rack for 24 hours.
• Before cooking, pat it dry and season with black pepper.
• For the quicker method, take the steak out of the refrigerator 30 minutes ahead, pat it dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the skillet

• Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes.
• Add a little oil.

Sear the steak

• Cook the steak to your preferred doneness: rare 2–2½ min per side (remove at 120–125°F), medium-rare 2½–3 min per side (128–130°F), medium 3½–4 min per side (135–140°F).
• For a deeper crust, press with a steak press for the first 30–60 seconds.
• Sear the fatty edges for 30–45 seconds.

Baste with butter and aromatics

• Reduce the heat to medium.
• Add the butter, garlic and rosemary.
• Baste the steak for 60–90 seconds.

Rest the steak

• Transfer the steak to a board and let it rest.

Start the peppercorn sauce

• Discard the excess fat from the skillet, keeping the browned bits.
• Add the shallot and crushed black pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze the skillet

• Mix a little of the beef stock with the Worcestershire sauce and white vinegar.
• Pour it into the skillet and scrape up the browned bits.

Simmer the sauce

• Add the remaining beef stock and the heavy cream.
• Simmer gently until the sauce thickens and lightly coats the back of a spoon.

Finish and strain the sauce

• Turn off the heat and stir in the cold butter until smooth and glossy.
• Add salt if needed.
• Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the shallot, pepper and other solids.

Fry the hand-cut fries

• Fry the hand-cut potatoes until golden and crispy.
• Drain well, then season with salt and parsley.

Slice and serve

• Slice the steak against the grain.
• Serve with the hand-cut fries and pour the strained peppercorn sauce over the steak.