super simple frites

A crispy, fluffy at-home French fry isn’t something I ever thought I’d bother with in this lifetime. Typically instructions for fries involve soaks, double-frying, pre-salts, freezing, or something else I’m just not willing to do in the name of fries, especially given how easy it is to order incredible ones at almost any restaurant in Los Angeles, usually with an equally incredible burger. Why do for yourself when you can pay someone a small amount of money to do it so much better for you?

This was easier logic to follow pre-quarantine, however. Takeout has its place in the world, but fries aren’t something that are ever going to travel well.

Yet after discovering Smitten Kitchen’s Easiest French Fries recipe, who got it from Cook’s Illustrated, I have become A Person Who Makes Fries. How? You take unpeeled potatoes, cut roughly into frylike shapes, cover in oil in a cold pan, boil, and let it sit there for a half hour. That’s it. That’s the recipe.

My added value: a variety of seasoning combinations and a slightly longer cook time for that shattering brown crunch.

RECIPE

The easiest, crispiest fries you’ll ever make at home. Shallow-fried but not greasy or heavy, these fries are easy to customize with seasonings and ready in about 30 minutes.

Effortful time: 5 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Serves: 2, easily doubled (or more) or cut in half to treat yourself

YOU NEED

Basic fries

  • 1 1/4 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, about 3 medium-sized potatoes

  • 4 cups neutral, cheap oil, like canola or peanut; don’t worry, the fries absorb only a little bit

  • Fine sea salt

Customizations

  • Bistro fries: add 2 tbsp. duck fat to the frying oil; Maldon salt instead of sea salt

  • Truffle fries: Sabatino Truffle Zest or other truffle powder

  • Grill fries: smoked Maldon salt instead of sea salt (great with burgers)

  • Garlic fries: 2 cloves minced garlic + fresh parsley

  • Cajun fries: cajun seasoning

MAKE IT

  1. Prep the potatoes. Rinse and scrub the potatoes; no need to peel. Dry them well with paper towels. Cut each potato roughly into a rectangular shape by cutting off the 2 “faces” of the potato as well as the two ends, which can then also be cut into fries. Cut the rectangle potato chunk into thicc matchsticks. They don’t need to be perfect! I’m not and neither are my fries. ~*

  2. Start the frites. Put potatoes into a large, deep pan with a good amount of surface area to give the fries room—I used a 3.5 qt Le Creuset cast iron braiser for this, which is wide and shallow—and cover the potatoes with the oil.

  3. Boil, then gently simmer, the frites—but do not stir them. Turn the burner to high until the oil starts boiling. This takes about 5 minutes. Then cook 15 minutes more. Truly: leave them alone until they are fully golden.

  4. Stir the fries. Once they are fully golden, you can stir to loosen any stuck ones. Cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the fries are crispy and golden.

  5. Season the fries. Using tongs, move the fries over to a paper-towel lined sheet pan. Salt immediately and shake any additional seasonings over, if using. Toss with tongs to distribute.

sidesA @ italian enoughComment