Frites!

Drinking beer gives me the munchies and a basket of tasty frites sure does hit the spot.

Making your own fresh cut fries is actually pretty easy and doesn’t really require any special equipment.

Pair them up with a Belgian Wit or Pale Ale, a nice spring evening and a few good friends!

Equipment:

- Large pot.  At least 6 quarts.  The heavier the better.

- Frying thermometer. Controlling the oil temperature is key.

- Large bowl.  For soaking the fresh cut fries.

- Paper towels.  And/or draining rack

- Spider.  For retrieving the fries from the hot oil.  Better than a slotted spoon.  You can find them lots of places, even the grocery store.

- Oil.  3-4 quarts.  I’m using canola but you could try other types like peanut or safflower.  The Belgians apparently use beef lard.

Ingredients:

- Potatoes.  One large Russet per person.

- Salt.  Kosher.

Directions:

1. Wash/Scrub your potatoes.

2. Peel and slice into fries, around 3/8″ square.   You can make them any size you want, as long as they’re all the same so that they cook evenly.

3. Place the cut fries into the large bowl of cold water while the oil heats.  This will help rinse off some of the excess starch.

4. Fill your pot about half way with oil and heat to 325ºF.

5.  Drain/dry a handful of fries (You’ll probably have to do this in batches).  Excess water will make lots of popping and foaming in the oil so dry them well.

6. Slowly lay the dry fries into the oil.  Don’t crowd the pot.  There will be a bit of foam – that’s why we only filled it halfway with oil.

The temperature of the oil will drop to around 275-290º, which seems to be ok.  I’ve tried adding heat to get back to 325º and it just made the fries cook too quickly.

7. Cook 5-ish minutes.  At this point we’re only trying to cook the center, they won’t brown up very much.

As long as there is steam coming out of the fries then the oil can’t get in, so they won’t become greasy.  If they stop foaming and bubbling,  you’re probably about to be in trouble.

8. Remove the fries from the pot and let them drain and cool while you cook the remaining batches.

9 . When all fries are cooked, raise the oil temperature to 375ºF.

10. In batches again, return the fries to the pot for a quick 1-2 minute browning/crisping.

11. Remove from the oil into a bowl lined with paper towels and toss with a few pinches of salt to taste.

12. Eat!

Finish them any way you like, maybe with a little roasted garlic or chopped parsley.

When the oil has cooled you can strain/funnel it back into the original container to use a few more times.  If you did a good job, you’ll collect almost the same amount you started with – minus what got absorbed by the paper towels or dripped/spilled.  None of it actually ended up inside the frites!

Dipping Sauces

Skip the ketchup and try a more traditional mayo-based sauce.  Don’t reach for the Hellman’s or Miracle Whip though (eww).  Make your own!

Start with a basic recipe, like this one.  Then spike it with something special like  fresh herbs from the garden, more roasted garlic, or maybe some cayenne or curry powder.  Whatever flavors you like.  There are almost infinite variations.

So there you have it.  Another simple, tasty snack.  Fry some up this weekend and enjoy with your favorite homebrew.

Tagged as: beer, french fries, frites, recipe