Frites
I probably would not have posted a recipe of French fries, but a couple of weeks ago I read a recipe published in a famous newspaper from New York, it was… well… to put it mildly unnecessarily complicated. There is only one recipe, and you don’t need to boil the potatoes in water and you surely absolutely don’t start the cooking in cold oil. So, to set things right, here is the real recipe from the north of France, famous all over the country for the best fries. This is called the double dip method, because you have to dip the fries in the oil twice.
The ingredients:
- Three medium potatoes per person.
- 1/4 tsp of salt.
The equipment:
- An electric deep fryer.
- A potato peeler.
- Kitchen disposable paper cloth.
The recipe:
- Chose firm potatoes, the first seasonal ones will be harvested in the summer and the fries will be better if the potatoes are “new”. (The longer the potato will be stored after harvesting the more starch and sugar it will develop, when frying it will become dark brown and it will be harder to make crispy).
- Peel the potatoes and remove any imperfections.
- Wash the potatoes under cold running water (Vegetables are always washed with cold water).
- Cut the potatoes in fries.
- Wash the raw fries in water a couple of time until the water is clear, thus removing as much starch as possible.
- Preheat the deep fryer to 330° Fahrenheit ( About 170° Celsius)
- Drain the water from the fries.
- Take e a clean kitchen towel and dry the fries.
- When the deep fryer is at temperature, place the fries in the basket.
- Immerse the fries completely in the hot oil. You should see immediate boiling like in the picture bellow.
- When you see the fries starting to get brown (like in the picture below), remove them from the oil and let them cool down 5 to 10 minutes.
- Increase the temperature of the oil to 360° F (180° C)
- Plunge the fries in the oil again until golden brown and crispy, the fries should go back to the surface of the oil. (see picture below)
depending on the quality of the potatoes, you may want a third dip to ensure crispiness…
- Remove the fries from the oil, shaking the excess of oil.
- Pour the fries in a large bowl with absorbing paper.
- Turn off and cover the fryer.
- Drizzle 1/4 tsp of salt of the fries and give the fries a shake.
Et voila! Simple and excellent no nonsense french fries the way we eat them…
Easy French Cooking 