French Fries

Ingredients

• 2 lb (3 – 4)aw potatoes (Idaho potatoes)
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 quart canola/vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Peel and slice the potatoes into ¼‑inch thick French‑fries using a serrated knife.
2. Soak the cut fries in a bowl of water to keep them from browning.

Pre‑cooking

1. Rinse the fries in the water until it runs clear (about 20 seconds). Simmer the drained fries, just covered, in a pot with 2 Tbsp vinegar and 1 Tbsp salt for 10 minutes.
2. Spread the fries on two tea‑towel‑lined trays and let them steam‑dry for 5 minutes.

First fry

1. Heat oil in a deep pot (at least 4 inches of clearance from the rim) to 400 °F. Aim for a depth of about 1½ inches.
2. Divide the fries into three equal portions.
3. Fry the first portion: Using a slotted spoon, lower one‑third of the fries into the hot oil, wait ~10 seconds, add another third, wait another 10 seconds, then add the final third.
4. Cook for roughly 50 seconds, stirring once or twice, then lift the fries onto two paper‑towel‑lined trays, spreading them in a single layer. They will still look pale and soft.

Rest

1. Cool the fries for about 30 minutes.

Second fry

1. Line a large bowl with paper towels for draining.
2. Fry each batch again (the three portions) for about 4 minutes, turning the fries twice during cooking.
3. Drain the finished fries in the lined bowl and toss with salt or your preferred seasonings.

Notes

Ever since we’ve been back from France, having had some truly fantastic frites, I’ve been making these every other week or so. I don’t have much deviation from the recipe at this point but I would just say that you can scale this up pretty well as the ingredients here are potatoes and oil. I typically get the fries fried up once and then coordinate them with whatever else I’m making. Typically end up with three batches to fry so call it 15 minutes to include time for the oil to get back up to 400 between fries.

I’ve been pairing this with burgers on the stove which isn’t much of a recipe other than to make the patties and then season them (salt and pepper). Typically takes four minutes on each side while at medium high so you can start the frying and the burgers at the same time. My stove has a microwave over it so the ventilation is not the best. I typically open windows and bring in a floor fan to prevent the smoke detectors from going off. Makes for a nice dinner of burger and fries!