Hands up who doesn't like French Fries? .... No! Really? go on, I don't believe you!
I know no one who doesn't like French fries or "frites" [pronounced freet]. I'm not talking about the things your kids eat at McDonalds, or the oven ready fries you can buy from the supermarket -
Non merci!
I am talking about the real thing, home-made, 'des bonnes frites maison'. I made some for lunch today, but took too long to get my camera to the table, and by the time I thought about pictures the serving plate was empty! That is the way things go here ... sigh!
There are as many recipes for home made fries, as there are shapes of potato; here is how I make mine, let me know what you think.
To make enough fries for a family lunch for 4 people, I peel a good kilo or 3 lbs of large potatoes. I choose a variety that is slightly floury, slightly sweet in flavour. New potatoes don't work for this. Apparently if a potato has been too cold, then the starch content alters and it loses some of its sweetness.
Personally I wash the potatoes before cutting them into the long chip shape. Most recipes tell you to wash them once they are cut, I find that simply blotting the raw chips with absorbent paper before cooking is sufficient.
I have a proper fryer with a drop in basket, but generally for small to medium quantities of chips I use a deep pan.
I heat up almost 2" deep of vegetable oil and some duck fat in the pan. I like to use the duck fat for its flavour, and for that particular texture it gives the potato.
When the oil is bubbling hot, I drop one chip in to see if it starts 'singing' straight away. If it does then I gently slide a couple of handfuls of chips in to the pan, make sure they are separated from each other and well spread out, then leave to bubble for about 6 minutes.
The thinner the chip, the quicker they will be to cook - hum, pretty obvious!
I am partisan to the twice-cooked frite. That is to say that I half-cook all my frites, until they are just beginning to turn golden. This allows me to cook them in batches. As each batch begins to turn a little in colour, I lift the chips from the oil and put them in a heatproof dish to wait.
Just before we are ready to eat, once I've made sure that the oil is still bubbling hot (but not smoking) I put all the chips back into the oil, pushing them around gently so they are evenly distributed in the pan. This second cooking is very quick to react, and they should be watched carefully until they get to the colour you prefer - light to mid-golden in this house.
Lift with a slotted spoon onto a plate with absorbent paper, then transfer onto a warm serving dish, bring to the table and be prepared to be worshipped -
home made frites ensure instant goddess status .....
and that's a promise!
Bon appetit!
Failing my own pics due to the frites being eaten way too fast, I thank La Recette de Cuisine.com; Kirbie Cravings; Kitchy Kitchen and Maison & Demeure for their excellent pictures.
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