How To Make Steak Tartare, According To One Of NYC’s Best New Steakhouses
Chef Michael Mina serves up an exclusive recipe to make a stone-cold classic steak dish.
Competition is fierce among New York City’s famously good steakhouses, but in a mere fourteen months of business, Chef Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak New York has lived up to its appealing moniker, and then some. One of three locations in the Bourbon Steak portfolio (you can also find Bourbon Steak in Las Vegas and Delray Beach, Florida), the Manhattan outpost is billed as an “ode to the modern American steakhouse,” nestled in the five-star JW Marriott Essex House hotel and offering an array of classic dishes with carnivorous flair. The menu includes a killer steak tartare that you can actually whip up at home, courtesy of a recipe exclusively shared with Maxim by Bourbon Steak New York’s award-winning chef, cookbook author and restaurateur Michael Mina.
Classic cuts of meat (including a massive porterhouse and a mouthwatering filet) dot the menu, along with expertly crafted cocktails, while the richly designed, warm space feels lively, rather than stuffy. The same can be said for its inventive dishes, including its signature A5 wagyu steak tartare.
“Our rendition of steak tartare comes together from a few carefully made elements. High-quality product is always a priority at Bourbon Steak, and it really comes through in this dish,” Mina tells Maxim, noting that the tartare is perfectly accented by a double-fried crisp potato pavé for a “delicate crunch.”
Using that potato technique is “essential,” Mina says, noting that its wagyu tartare is torched tableside for “a bit of flair,” (see the recipe below for a guide on recreating the magic at home).
To see the experience play out in person is a rare treat, and the restaurant’s at-home recipe should deliver the same opulence by elevating the familiar from the comfort of home. Bourbon Steak’s Duck Fat Fries, which are served as a welcome dish alongside dipping sauces, also drive home this point in delicious fashion. “Even at home, recreating this recipe gives you a little taste of how we bring personality, precision, and a sense of place to every dish we serve at Bourbon Steak,” Mina adds.
Although it might seem complicated on the surface, tartare can be made to one’s liking, then customized even further.
“A great tartare is all about balance, and when you make it at home, you get to fine-tune every detail to your palate. That’s the beauty of cooking. It becomes deeply personal,” Mina says. “Our Bourbon Steak recipe gives you the foundation, but don’t be afraid to season boldly, adjust the texture, and make it your own. That is where the magic happens.” And if A5 wagyu isn’t available from your local butcher shop, Mina recommends the enterprising home cook use an Angus “regular” beef sirloin or New York Strip cut to get the recipe just right.
As to what you’re sipping on alongside your new favorite steak recipe? Mina recommends a covetable bourbon pairing of Weller’s Special Reserve Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. The sweeter notes of the wheated bourbon nicely complement the bright, salty taste of the tartare. To make a date night or special occasion at home all the more delicious and inviting, follow Bourbon Steak’s positively outstanding recipe below.
Steak Tartare by Bourbon Steak New York
Ingredients:
- A5 sliced like nigiri, 6cm long x 2.5cm wide, 12g each
- Fresh wasabi, microplanned 1.50g
- A5 beef, small diced 40g
- Pinch of salt to taste
- Chopped parsley
- Russet Potatoes, peeled 2000g
- Clarified Butter 300g
- Kosher Salt 35g
Instructions:
- Pre-fry the potatoes and let sit on paper towels till ready to use.
- Fry potatoes again and while frying mix the tartare (beef, salt, parsley)
- Season the potatoes when they come out of the fryer and place onto a paper towel lined transfer tray.
- Divide the tartare mix among the three fried potatoes.
- Next, dab the wasabi onto each beef slice and then lay the slices over each piece, wasabi side down.
- Plate and lightly torch tableside, until each slice is opaque and warm.