Restaurant Style French Fries, or as they are called over seas, Chips.
There aren’t many sides that pair with just about anything, but there is one. We all know which restaurants have the best fries, but not too many people know how easy it is to replicate that authentic restaurant quality French fries at home. Let’s take a good look at everything that you need to make these crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside fry;
-What We Need-
1-2 Potatoes(different types of potatoes have different flavors, but a good starting point are russet potatoes or Yukon gold)
Oil for frying(use a neutral oil with a higher smoke point, I personally use regular vegetable oil)
Fresh Ground Salt
Optional: Extra seasoning such as Old Bay, blackened seasoning, or another one of the many seasonings that are out there.
-Let’s Make Some French Fries-
1) First wash, peel and cut your potatoes however you want. You can leave the skins on if you want(this is my preferred way of making them). The only thing you need to do is try to keep the size of every cut the same so that your fries cook evenly.
2) We are now going to fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and place our cut up potatoes into it for a 30 minute soak. this is called blanching and will remove excess starches and add moisture to your spuds, which keep them from drying out when we fry them.
3) Once the soak time is up, drain the excess water, and move the cut potatoes to some paper towel in a baking sheet, and pat them dry.
4) Heat your oil in a deep pan or a Dutch oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 162 degrees Celsius, making sure that your oil is at least half way up the side of the pan you have it in. The best way to precisely manage your oil temperature is to use an instant read thermometer, fry thermometer, infrared thermometer or even a candy thermometer.
5) When your oil reaches that 325F/162C, your are ready to add your spuds to the oil. We are going to add them in small batches, so that the oil doesn’t lose too much of its heat, and fry for 3-4 minutes. The fries are not going to look done at this point, but don’t worry, we are going to remove the par-fried potatoes to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, and slide the baking sheet into the refrigerator.(I use a wire spider to fish my fries from the oil, but you can use a slotted spoon or even tongs, just be gentle)
6) While your potatoes are waiting in the chill chest(at least 15 minutes to overnight if you want. You want your spuds at least down to room temperature), turn the heat up on your oil, and bring it up to 375F/190C.
7) We are now going to fry our spuds a second time at that 375F/190C temp for another 3-5 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy, working in small batches again to ensure that our oil doesn’t lose any of the heat.
8) Move the French fries to a mixing bowl lined with either paper towels or even better, some fresh paper bags(paper bags absorb the extra oil but don’t stick to the fries), season with your seasoning of choice or simply just salt, and toss in the bowl as soon as they are out of the oil.
9) Serve with whatever main dish you have, and enjoy!
Getting the crispiest yet fluffy French fries may sound tough at first, but is really one easy side to add to any meal. if you feel adventurous, try using tallow to fry your potatoes in, or simply try different seasonings to get the flavor to match what your taste buds are craving. There are plenty of main dishes that incorporate French fries in them such as the Canadian staple, Poutine. I hope you all have a fun time making these spectacular spuds, and come back for more cooking ideas and recipes. As Always. Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. Stay Cooking.
Nobrega’s Kitchen
