Spending more time at home has many people sharpening their cooking skills, but a few lucky NHL players are getting assists from the pros in a new series called "Skates & Plates."

In the premiere episode, Nashville Predators forward Nick Bonino gets a lesson in classic French bistro fare from Chef Ludo Lefebvre, who owns the restaurant Petit Trois in Los Angeles. Created and distributed by NHL Original Productions, "Skates & Plates" will premiere on Wednesday, June 10, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Sportsnet. NHL Network will air the episode on Thursday, June 11, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The pair connected on a video chat so Lefebvre could walk Bonino through all the steps of making steak and fries with Diane sauce.

"To a lot of people in the restaurant business, Steak Diane, it's a very old school sauce and it gets a little lost but before coronavirus I put it back on the menu and we got some good feedback at the restaurant with this dish," Lefebvre said.

The recipe calls for pan-seared beef tenderloin steaks and the accompanying sauce includes chopped shallots, butter, and brandy, which gave Bonino the opportunity to flambé a sauce for the first time.

"I love to cook. It's a passion of mine," said Bonino, who started cooking in 2010 and showed up for the tutorial wearing a customized chef's coat that his wife Lauren bought him a few years ago.

During the episode, the two chatted about what they like to eat and cook. Bonino said he loves to eat sushi and regularly cooks fish.

"We cook a lot of fish but we like a good steak, like a ribeye cap or something like that," he said. "I'll tell you what now that I know this sauce I'm going to make it all the time."

Lefebvre also said he doesn't eat steak a lot but when done the right way, it makes for a great comfort meal.

"Just a good steak, a good sauce, a good potato, a little glass of wine and life is beautiful," he said.

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Chef Ludo Lefebvre's Steak and Frites with Diane Sauce

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 6-oz. beef tenderloin steaks
Fish sauce, for brushing
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grapeseed oil, as needed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup beef or veal stock
1/4 cup chives, chopped
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Brush the sides of beef with a few drops of fish sauce and season with black pepper to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil until the oil is very hot. Cook the steaks evenly on both sides to the desired doneness and set aside to rest.

Remove the fat from the pan, leaving the fond in the pan. Add shallots to the pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and and sauté until softened, 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove skillet from stove, and carefully add the brandy. Return the pan to the stove and flambé. (Alternatively, let alcohol cook off on low heat.) Add mustard mixture and stock to the pan and bring to a boil and let simmer about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add lemon juice to taste and sprinkle in the chopped chives. Add salt as needed.

Pomme Frites

Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes
Grapeseed oil

Directions:

In a heavy bottom pot, heat oil to 350° Fahrenheit.

Peel the potatoes and cut into ½ inch slices. When the oil has reached temperature, add the potatoes and stir so they do not stick together. Adjust heat to maintain temperature and cook for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Strain and place on a plated lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt immediately to finish.

Serve each steak on a plate with the sauce and pomme frites on the side