Frites!
Fall is fair season. All over the country for the next month or so there will be county fairs, state fairs, and harvest festivals. Vendors will flock to them offering corn dogs, fried Mars bars, funnel cakes, and just about anything elese you can imagine -- most of it fried. And there are always a few vendors selling "homemade" French fries.
There's usually a post-pubescent girl taking orders. She's not fat but still too-plump to be wearing a jersey that doesn't cover her stomach and short jeans that really should leave more to one's imagination. Her hair is cut short and bleached blond (or dyed blue in some areas of the country) and she's chewing gum with her mouth open. She's actually quite pleasant and would have been charming in an earlier time, place, and wardrobe.
Behind her is a guy in his sixties wearing a faded flannel shirt (or faded cowboy shirt in some areas of the country). He too has a paunch, but thankfully it's covered and what little hair he has is gray. He busy running whole, fresh, unpeeled potatoes through a device that produces 1/4 inch square strips. This is a good first step. Then, sadly, those potato strips go straight into hot oil until they're brown. The result smells good and looks good but, unfortunately that's all empty promise. The fries are limp and oily and although they taste slightly raw, just a few are all you can eat before the oil becomes overwhelming.
The sad thing is, making good fries isn't that hard -- the trick is frying them twice.
French Fries
1 lb baking potatoes (these must be high-starch potatoes)
oil
Half fill a large, heavy pot with oil. Heat to 325F. (Note: you need a candy/frying thermometer.)
Scrub potatoes and cut into strips 1/4" square. Place strips in a bowl of ice water while oil heats. (Soaking removes starch from the surface of the strips, which keeps them from browning on the first pass).
Dry potatoes and then fry in two batches for about 3 minutes per batch until limp and golden. Drain potatoes on a wire rack and allow to cool. At this point the second frying can be delayed by as much as a couple of hours.
Heat oven to 200F. Heat oil to 375F and fry potatoes in two batches until browned and puffed -- about 5 minutes. Drain on a wire rack, season with salt, and keep warm in the oven while remaining frys are cooked. Serves 2.
The ice water treatment and second frying is what makes the difference between the limp strips found at country fairs and the marvelously light and crunchy frites found throughout Europe.
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Comments: 39
The soaking removes the starch from the exterior, which reduces the amount of oil they soak up.
Yes it does. Although in case of frites, you can let them sit after the first frying for 2 - 3 hours before the final frying and that both eliminates the problem of them oxidizing as well as reducing the cooking time just before serving.
Holly,
My favorite is salt and freshly ground black pepper, but aioli is pretty good too.
Sonia,
There's a burger joint, a diner really, that does their frys right. But, then, they grind their own beef and bake their own buns, too, so good fries aren't a surprise. I've got a DeLonghi deep fryer that I use about three times a year.
Dorine,
According to Jeffrey Steingarten the absolute best way to cook fries is in horse fat.
Once a year (in the summer) I fry a pound of frites and make a batch chocolate malts and that's dinner one night.
Pure hedonism.
Sweety, you've got an open invitation to dinner, lunch, or brunch whenever you get the urge to come visiting. But next time I indulge in that particular form of onanism I will remember to issue a specific invitation.
And about that appendage...
No. Nope. Never mind. I'm not going to say it. I'm not even going to think it. Nope. Not me.
Sorry about the, uhmmm, about mentioning, errr... Blame Liz. And if you come to dinner I promise to notice, ahhh... Well, not to notice.
Katrina,
Fats fat, some tastes better than others. But I guess I shouldn't post this to Bambi/Flicker group.
Kevin
You've become my favorite scape goat. I'm not sure why, but someting prompts me to blame everything on you. Perhaps so I can commiscerate?
Olive oil is bad choice for frys, 375 is too close to where it burns.
And I too grew up riding horses as well as herding cows and weeding asparagus. Food's food. If SweetThing dies first I'll bury her -- she's a friend and I'm not a Martian. If I die first she'll likely eat me until someone notices I'm dead. Shrug.
I'd go for peanut oil.
You're looking dapper this evening.
Oh, my shorts cover enough to make you guess. ;-) Happy fair season, everyone.
I like guessing.
Liz,
I promise not to abuse you.
Ah well.
CW & Dolphi,
Be careful, good frys are seriously addictive.
You'll be pleased. they're only a tad more oily than most oven fries and the flavor and texture is far superior. But they are more trouble.
I have rarely met a french fry I didn't like.... well, or at least eaten a few of. But for home, I use the Cooks Illustrated oven fries recipe. The fries actually turn out pretty good. The recipe also calls for soaking first, and then covering the baking sheet tightly in the oven for the first few minutes to steam before uncovering to crisp. Not quick, not particularly healthy, but they are awfully good (and I just can't bring myself to buy a deep-fryer, I'd be too tempted to use it EVERY DAY).
Vote for my book review and if I win I'll come to Boston and cook!{G}
And the granddaughters are absolutely right.