The final part of my fish and chips meal was the chips. Given the number of restaurants that don’t seem to be able to get french fries right, I was expecting them to be rather difficult to make. I like my fries nice and golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside and soft, warm and creamy on the inside. I had heard that a good way to get nice and crispy fries was to fry them twice. The idea is that you fry the hard raw potato slices until they are soft and floppy and remove them from the oil. The temperature of the oil is then increased and the fries are fried a second time. Since I don’t have a deep fryer I used a large sauce pan filled with oil and I estimated the temperatures. I was a little bit surprised that the chips came out really well; They were just how I like them. I enjoyed the chips with salt and malt vinegar and I dipped a few of them into the tartar sauce . They really made the fish and chips meal complete. In the future, when I have a craving for chips I will be able to satisfy it at home.
Chips (French Fries)
ingredients
- 4 potatoes (such as russet)
- oil for frying
- salt
directions
- Cut the potatoes into the desired shape.
- Heat the oil to 325.
- Add the fries and fry until pale and floppy, about 2-3 minutes, and remove.
- Heat the oil to 375.
- Add the fries and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes and remove.
- Season with salt to taste.
cindy* says
July 13, 2008 at 9:59 pmthose look seriously good and crunchy. i love a nice balance of crunchy exterior and creamy interior as well!
Leslie says
July 13, 2008 at 10:19 pmDouble frying..I am glad to see it actually works..I think I saw it on Good Eats..and thought it was an interesting concept!
Peabody says
July 13, 2008 at 10:20 pmI would say more often than not most restaurants don’t get them right. I love a crunch to them and if I make the mistake of telling them that(if I know the restaurant makes them soggy) they just end up burning them. Yum.
Those fries you have there though look like something I could eat a whole bucket worth.
Sandie says
July 13, 2008 at 10:51 pmI love a good French fry… and when they’ve been hit with a dash of salt and malt vinegar, they’re even better!
[eatingclub] vancouver || js says
July 13, 2008 at 10:53 pmLove the fish and chips meal. Kudos for doing it yourself. I find that most restaurants nowadays can’t even do fries correctly. Such a shame. A real good fry is hard to find.
Prudy says
July 14, 2008 at 12:05 amOh-just made some of these a couple days ago for the kids. Trouble is now they want more and more and more. They look fab.
Jeena says
July 14, 2008 at 12:09 amChips look so golden and crisp just how I like them yum.
VeggieGirl says
July 14, 2008 at 12:24 amYou gotta try ’em the British way, with malt vinegar :0)
StickyGooeyCreamyChewy says
July 14, 2008 at 12:26 amYour fries look amazing! Nice and crisp! I could eat those every day – with malt vinegar, of course!
Elizabeth says
July 14, 2008 at 12:36 amWow, those look perfect!
Melanie says
July 14, 2008 at 12:50 amI’m impressed that everything on that plate was homemade, including the fries! They look perfect.
Mrs Ergül says
July 14, 2008 at 1:03 amI’ve read about this method of frying fries. But I got a little lazy along the way. But since you say it works out good, I’m gonna do it this way too!
Lina says
July 14, 2008 at 1:07 amI like how you broke it (the fish n’chips menu)down for us. Your fries look perfect. I microwaved the potato slices before frying them twice and they turned out great!
Syrie says
July 14, 2008 at 1:57 amPerfect looking chips Kevin!
Jeanine says
July 14, 2008 at 1:59 amSomething else for me to try. Those frys look amazing, and by having them at home, I wouldn’t have to worry about cross contamination. thanks! 🙂
Cheryl says
July 14, 2008 at 2:23 amI have heard the same thing, glad you tried it. I am making Tempura tonight so I will keep my deep fryer out and try chips later this week. I am also a fry snob!
Bellini Valli says
July 14, 2008 at 2:46 amYour fries look perfect Kevin:D
cakebrain says
July 14, 2008 at 2:58 amI love chips done the way you do too! they look great!
Bobby says
July 14, 2008 at 3:28 amJudging by the picture I would say these turned out extremely well.
Manggy says
July 14, 2008 at 3:31 amYeah, that’s how the English recommend cooking chips 🙂 They look perfect, nice job Kevin!
The Caked Crusader says
July 14, 2008 at 7:23 amA golden crunchy chip. Sometimes it’s the difference between happiness (with chip) and misery (no chip)!
Mochachocolata Rita says
July 14, 2008 at 7:32 ami am a sucker for french fries, and i especially love them when they are soft and soggy from absorbing all kinds of sauces…yummm
whoisneha says
July 14, 2008 at 7:34 amthe fries look quite crunchy:) i generally par-boil them before frying in hot oil..sprinkle with salt and crushed black-pepper..yumm!:)
Lindsay says
July 14, 2008 at 7:51 amYummy!! I really like to make these types of recipes in my kitchen!!
HoneyB says
July 14, 2008 at 8:15 amYour entire fish & chips meal would be enjoyed by my family! We love homemade french fries!
Emiline says
July 14, 2008 at 8:23 amHow true: restaurants never seem to fix fries right. These look awesome. I’ll have to try frying my fries twice next time.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
July 14, 2008 at 8:43 amNothing’s better than homemade French Fries! A real sin! So scrumptious…
Cheers,
Rosa
Rindy R says
July 14, 2008 at 10:32 amFound your site through Paninhappy.com and everything looks GREAT! Can’t wait to try your tarter sauce!
diva says
July 14, 2008 at 11:08 amchips! classic 🙂 looks wicked.
Jan says
July 14, 2008 at 11:56 amNice chips – You HAVE to have vinegar on chips!
Lori says
July 14, 2008 at 12:42 pmGreat job on those fries! If you’re going the deep fried route, twice fried has to be the way to go. 🙂
Patsyk says
July 14, 2008 at 1:45 pmI’ll have to tell my hubby about the double frying since he’s been wanting to make fries at home. Yours look awesome!
Grace says
July 14, 2008 at 1:53 pmi can’t believe you never made fries before! apparently the first time’s a charm–these look perfectly crispy. nice job. 🙂
Deborah says
July 14, 2008 at 3:30 pmI’ve always wanted to try the double frying, but never have. But your fries look so perfect, I’ll definitely have to try it soon!
Marjie says
July 14, 2008 at 4:16 pmBravo for recreating a meal most of us have only savored outside our homes!
melissa says
July 14, 2008 at 4:41 pmI couldn’t resist. I snagged this, along with your previous three posts and I’m making it all tonight!
Natasha says
July 14, 2008 at 5:50 pmmmm, chips… my favorite comfort food! And chips with tartar sauce are genius!
Elra says
July 14, 2008 at 6:22 pmI can’t resist this! I am glad that I don’t have any diet restriction. Just have to tell myself, I can eat everything and anything, but in moderation! Life is good!
doggybloggy says
July 14, 2008 at 7:40 pmrinse them first and they wont brown as fast…but hey…these look great.
crunchbot says
July 14, 2008 at 8:06 pmi have been craving some quality fries lately! deff gonna give this a try!
Lisa says
July 14, 2008 at 8:56 pmI’m not at all surprised they turned out well, as everything you make is seemingly perfect.
Corinne says
July 14, 2008 at 9:19 pmNow you just need some homemade mayonaise to dip them in… waaay better than ketchup 🙂
Clumbsy Cookie says
July 14, 2008 at 9:38 pmThey are perfect! That’s exactly how they do it in restaurants, frying them twice. Ilove how you left a bit of the skin on!
mindless_rambling says
July 14, 2008 at 9:48 pmThey look awesome!!
a double treatment really is a necessity for french fries, but giving them some microwave time as a “first round” is something you could try as well (just give them a bit of time to air dry as they cool down a bit before dumping them in the hot oil)
And restaurants…lots of them serve horrible fries because they either did not get the temperature of the oil right, or they use frozen fries.
belgianguy says
July 14, 2008 at 10:25 pmHow we do it:
Choose the right potato, in belgium “bintjes” are the ones used for fries. Dont use too sweet potatoes, they ll go brown, but not crunchy.
Peel and cut them in fries of 1cmx1cmxlength of potato.
Wash them a few times in cold water until the water stays clear.
Dry them in a clean kitchen towel.
Best fries are fried in “ossenvet”, but u can use a frying oil.
Fry them at 160° celsius for about 5 minutes,they should stay yellow.
Fry them in not too big portions, otherwise the oil will cool down too much. Shake and let them cool down in a bowl with some kitchen paper.
Fry them a second time at 180° C till gold yellow/brown and crunchy, shake them in a bowl wih kitchen paper to remove the oil.
Serve with mayonaise and some salt if you want.
meeso says
July 14, 2008 at 11:16 pmYou sure did describe the perfect fries, I’m sure they tasted awesome!
TBC says
July 15, 2008 at 12:11 amPerfect looking fries! This has got to be my favorite junk food.:)
Michelle says
July 15, 2008 at 12:45 amThe other day for the first time I tried making some chips. Erm, yours look better than mine did. Mine was also a bit pale and floppy. Oh, I don’t think the people who work for minimum wage in restaurants really care much for the chips being fried to oblivion. They’re just getting through their day and thinking about how to spend the next paycheck.
Beth G. says
July 15, 2008 at 3:05 ammmmmmm, those look incredible!
Paula says
July 15, 2008 at 3:22 amWow, those chips look great! Your entire meal was really beautifully constructed … from the fish, to the sauce, to the slaw, and the chips! I bet you really enjoyed that first bite!
noobcook says
July 15, 2008 at 6:45 amwoah, they DO look PERFECT!!
Kim says
July 15, 2008 at 11:54 amfabulous looking fries, double frying is the only way to go. Super meal!
kimberleyblue says
July 15, 2008 at 10:06 pmi love making my own french fries – beats the frozen ones any day!
yours look great; nice and crispy!
eatme_delicious says
July 16, 2008 at 4:34 pmThose look good! Thanks for the great tip about frying them twice.
Marianna says
July 28, 2008 at 12:39 pmoh, so is that then? frying twice? i never have managed to get that perfect crisp from the outside..i was told that one secret could be rinsing the peeled potatoes for literally hours before frying them… but that didnt work for me. Will have to try double frying!! fingers crossed, if it works then i’m thank you in advance!!!
Claud says
August 9, 2008 at 7:45 pmChips are my first, my biggest, my gratest “coccola”-food: they are able to comfort me, always!
😉
Robin Sue says
May 24, 2009 at 5:44 pmHey Kevin I wanted to let you know I made Pommes Frites last night 5/23/09 using this recipe. They turned out perfectly crispy! Great with our mussel feast! Thanks so much. RobinSue