David Chang's Unique Go-To Dipping Sauce For French Fries

Ketchup, gravy, barbecue, garlic aioli... the market for condiments is as saturated as a freshly-dipped French fry. However, celebrity chef David Chang knows how to sift through the options. When it comes to french fries, Chang prefers one slightly less common dipping sauce. 

In a video on Instagram, Chang apologized to more common ketchup and mayo before declaring his preference for au poivre sauce. The caption corresponded with a video of Chang dipping a crispy french fry inside a saucer of his condiment of choice, one that tends to accompany steaks and is best made in a pan.

This particular dipping sauce is incredibly versatile thanks to its balance of delicious, flavorful, and accessible ingredients. Au poivre is less known as a french fry condiment because it is an ingredient in steak au poivre, a dish consisting of pan-seared steak topped with a creamy black pepper-based sauce. The next time you're craving the flavors of France, opt for a little extra au poivre and use it for sopping up a side of French fries, David Chang-style.

Most steak au poivre recipes call for peppercorns, heavy cream, butter, shallots, and your choice of liquor. For the latter, cognac and brandy work similarly well. Beyond those baseline ingredients, au poivre recipes vary in potential add-ins. It's up to you to decide whether to include the likes of chicken stock and even mustard in your recipe. Of course, au poivre is most commonly associated with steak, though the French tend to serve steak au poivre with a side of fries. Therefore, it's not as surprising that the sauce pairs well with both foods — and gives a whole new meaning to the concept of double dipping. 

To make the most of your au poivre sauce, it's equally important to perfect your fries as you would a steak. You can always improve upon your go-to french fries by experimenting with air-fried frites or a twice-fried technique. However, per Chang's Instagram, perhaps it's the choice of dipping sauce that ultimately differentiates between a good fry and a great one.