These are the facts of the case and they are undisputed:
1. French fries are delicious.
2. French fries dipped in a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise are divine.
3. Did you know that’s called “Fry Sauce” in Utah?
4. If you peel a bunch of potatoes and cut them into sticks, then immediately plunge them into hot oil and fry them, they will never, ever, ever, be as good as the french fries I’m showing you below.
5. French Fries for President!
I love lists. I never follow them, but I love them.
But it’s really true, guys: to get perfectly golden french fries that are soft in the middle and crisp on the surface, plunging potatoes straight into oil just doesn’t work. The starch on the outside of the potatoes interferes with the texture of the fries and never allows them to become nice and crisp, and in order to cook the fries long enough to soften the potato, the outside can often get to brown. Utter chaos, I’m telling you!
Not that I’ve ever walked away from any form of fried potato. Let me just set that record straight.
But once you try french fries the way they’re meant to be made—and the way they’re made by most restaurants and fast food chains—you’ll have a hard time not trying to find ways to work french fries into your weekly menu. Whether or not this is a positive thing is something I’ll let you figure out.
Begin by peeling five pounds of potatoes, then cut them into sticks. Throw them in a pot or large bowl and cover them with cold water, then let them soak for at least two or three hours.
Soaking the sliced potatoes is the fundamental first step of making proper french fries. The soaking process removes the troublesome starch on the outside of the potato, which will help the fries achieve the perfect crispness.
Note: Because somewhere along the way I got into the habit of planning ahead for fries, I usually wind up soaking the fries for several hours, or even overnight. Last Sunday, for instance, I peeled and sliced the potatoes before church and let them soak while we were gone so they’d be ready to cook up when we got home. I’d say the minimum time you’d want to soak the potatoes would be an hour or so, but there’s definitely no harm in going longer.
By the way, when this finally breaks, I’m going to mourn.
You don’t need this, though. Just cut the peeled potatoes into four or five long pieces, then lay them flat and cut them into sticks.
But I love that french fry cutter. It’s seen me through some really rough times.
After they’ve soaked awhile, drain the fries, then lay them on a bunch of paper towels to dry them off. Blot the top of the potatoes to remove all the excess moisture.
Next, heat a pot of oil to 300 degrees, using a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
300 degrees is a low frying temperature…and I’ll show you why in a second.
Okay, seven seconds.
Working in batches, add the potatoes to the 300 degree oil…
Then fry the potatoes for about 4 to 5 minutes. The key here isn’t to fry them or brown them at all…just to start softening them up.
Note: If you have little kiddos in the house, please be sure to put the pot on a backburner!
Once they’re soft (I usually use the spatula to cut through one of them in the pot; if it easily cuts through, they’re ready) remove them from the oil…
And drain them on (new, dry) paper towels.
Keep doing this until you’ve fried all the potatoes at 300 degrees.
Then…crank up the heat and bring to oil to 400 degrees. We’ll finish them off a this high temperature.
Making fries is fun!
Then batch by batch…
Throw ’em back into the oil and fry ’em till they’re nice and golden and crisp and irresistibly, ridiculously perfect.
When they look like they’re brown enough, remove them from the oil…
Drain ’em on a plate with a napkin or paper towel…
Then sprinkle ’em with sea salt.
Look at what you made! A beautiful, golden brown, crispy, tender, gorgeous, perfect plate of french fries.
If you can do this, you can do most things in life.
Dig in!
