Gordon Ramsay’s New York Strip Steak

Gordon Ramsay’s New York strip steak is a coffee-rubbed strip seared in butter, served with pan-fried fingerling potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. The rub turns sweet and smoky in the pan, and the whole plate comes together in about 40 minutes.

He cooks it in this F Word video, where he calls the strip one of the most succulent but trickiest steaks to cook. The exact steak numbers below come from his Bread Street Kitchen method, which uses the same sear and baste.

The secret is heat and timing, because the rub needs a smoking pan to toast into a crust. He cooks fast and rests long, so the strip stays pink and juicy rather than grey and tough. Cold steak in a cool pan just steams.

Gordon Ramsay’s New York Strip Steak

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DinnerCuisine: American, BritishDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

2

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

950

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

This is Gordon’s F Word New York strip, the spiced steak with fingerling potatoes and mushrooms, written up properly. His steak method and timings come from Bread Street Kitchen, while the rub amounts and the sides are my tested home version of what he does on the show.

Ingredients

• For the steak:

• 2 New York strip steaks (about 300g / 10 oz each, 2.5cm thick), at room temperature

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 25g butter

• 3-4 thyme sprigs

• 1 rosemary sprig

• 3 garlic cloves, bashed

• For the spice rub (my take on his):

• 1 tbsp finely ground coffee

• 1 tsp chipotle powder

• 1 tbsp light brown sugar

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• For the fingerling potatoes:

• 400g fingerling potatoes

• 1 tsp olive oil

• Knob of butter

• For the mushrooms:

• 200g portabella and king oyster mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• A few thyme sprigs

• Knob of butter

• To serve:

• Smoky barbecue sauce

• Sea salt and black pepper, for the potatoes and mushrooms

Directions

• Make the rub: Mix the coffee, chipotle, brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Press it firmly into both sides of the steaks and leave them out for 15 to 20 minutes to come to room temperature.
• Blanch the potatoes: Boil the fingerlings in salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and leave to cool so they steam and turn slightly fluffy. Halve them lengthways once cool.
• Sear the steak: Add the oil to a heavy pan over medium-high heat. When it just starts to smoke, lay in the steaks and sear for 3 to 4 minutes without moving them, then flip for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Baste: Turn off the heat, then add the butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks for 30 to 60 seconds. Rest on a board for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Fry the potatoes: In the same pan, lay the fingerlings cut-side down so they catch the caramelised flavour. Spoon the steak’s resting juices over them, crisp for a few minutes, then finish with a knob of butter.
• Saute the mushrooms: Get a separate pan hot and dry, add the oil and mushrooms, and cook hard until the water steams off and they brown. Season, then add the shallot, garlic, thyme and a knob of butter.
• Plate: Smear the barbecue sauce on the plate, sit the mushrooms then potatoes on top, slice the steak thick at an angle, and spoon over the last of the resting juices.

FAQs

Why does Gordon cook his New York strip at room temperature?

He takes the steaks out 15 to 20 minutes before cooking, because a fridge-cold steak has almost no flavour and cooks unevenly. Room temperature meat sears properly instead of steaming in the pan.

It also helps the centre come up to medium rare while the crust forms, so you don’t get a grey band under the surface. Skip this step and even perfect timing won’t save it.

What is in Gordon’s coffee rub for the New York strip?

On the show he presses a rub he describes as sweet, bitter, smoky and spicy, built mainly on coffee and chipotle. He never gives amounts, so the blend above is my tested version of his.

I use ground coffee, chipotle, a little brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, pressed firmly into both sides. If you want a pure coffee-led rub instead, his coffee rub steak uses espresso and ancho chilli.

Why does Gordon fry the potatoes in the steak pan?

That pan is full of caramelised meat fat and toasted spice, so the potatoes pick up flavour a clean roasting tray never gives. It is the whole point of cooking them last.

You can blanch them ahead and leave them ready, so only the quick fry happens at the end. Done this way they out-flavour his roast potatoes every time, even though those are crisper.

Why does Gordon use a hot, dry pan for the mushrooms?

Mushrooms are roughly a third water, and that water is the enemy. If the pan is not hot and dry, they release it and stew into grey, rubbery slices instead of browning.

Seasoning comes last for the same reason. Shallots, garlic and thyme cook much faster than mushrooms, so adding them early just burns them before the mushrooms are done.

How long should you rest a New York strip, and how do you slice it?

Resting matters as much as the searing, because slicing too early spills the juices back onto the board. Rest it 3 to 5 minutes with the herbs and garlic sitting on top.

Press it to check, because medium rare feels slightly springy when you push it. Slice it thick and at an angle, never thin, or it dries out. The same sear-and-baste method runs through his sirloin steak and his steak au poivre.