French Fries
French fries (or chips) are a well-known element of fast food.
🍟 Belgian
Total Time
30 minutes
Servings
2
Ingredients
Everything you'll need to make this recipe
1
Potatoes (those with a high dry matter content such as Russet or Maris Piper work best)
2
Cooking oil
3
Salt
Instructions
Step-by-step guide to making this recipe
1
Peel potatoes, and cut into thin straw-like pieces.
2
Wash potatoes well with water to remove excess starch.
3
Place fries in a saucepan with water, and simmer or parboil on the stove for about 15 minutes.
15 minutes
4
Drain the fries, and dry them well.
5
Deep fry in 175°C vegetable oil, lard, or drippings for 4–5 minutes until light golden and crisp.
4–5 minutes
6
Remove from oil, and place on plate with paper towels to absorb the leftover cooking oil. Transfer to another plate if necessary.
7
Add salt and shake to ensure all French fries are evenly salted.
Notes
- •You can vary the size of the potato slices. Thick wedge shapes are home-style fries or English-style chips, while thinly julienned potatoes make for shoestring potatoes. Cooking times will need to be adjusted accordingly.
- •Try adding other spices after cooking. Minced garlic is popular in California cuisine.
- •Instead of ketchup, serve with mayonnaise, gravy, barbecue sauce, or salt, hummus, and vinegar.
- •For poutine (a French-Canadian treat), toss cooked fries with cheese curds and smother with gravy.
- •Some cook the fries a single time in a generous amount of oil pre-heated to a temperature around 375 °F (190 °C) until they are golden and slightly crisp.
- •The method recommended by most cookbooks and used by many restaurants, is to cook them in two stages: first at around 350 °F (177 °C) until the fries are nearly cooked but limp and pale; after they have been removed from the oil and allowed to cool, they are briefly fried at a higher temperature of around 375 °F (190 °C) until golden and crisp.
- •A method attributed to the celebrated French chef Joël Robuchon for the home cook says to put the sliced potatoes into a saucepan with just enough cold oil in it to cover the potatoes, then to cook them over high heat until golden, stirring occasionally.[1]