Recipe: French Fried Potatoes

Recipe

French Fried Potatoes,
Deep Fried Potatoes

fried potatoes

Serving Size: 1

Preparation

Test the potatoes. Dissolve 1 lb of salt in a gallon of water (2 oz per pint). Wash the potatoes and add them to the brine. Those that sink will make excellent deep fried potatoes. Blanch at 325 degrees F until the first speck of brown. Fry at 350-375 degrees F (thinner hotter) to finish golden brown. If the potatoes consistently overbrown before done, the potatoes need storage at room temp for about a week.
Lightly peel, if at all, the potatoes and cut them according to the following chart.

Allumette: Cut into match stick shapes, like wooden, matches. . Both this and Shoestring can be done on the Cuisinart shredder. Cut the blocks 2-3 inches.

Shoestring: Like Allumette, but longer, 3-5 inches, long, about 1/8th of an inch diameter. Both need only a single frying

Julienne: Somewhere between Allumette and Shoestring, but thicker, perhaps 1/4 inch. Can be done in one bath.

French Fries: Cut closer to 3/8th of an inch in diameter, these need blanching and a final fry.

Pont Neuf: The original French Fry, these should be 1/2 inch in diameter, and hopefully at least 5-6 inches long, from very mature potatoes.

Chip and Gaufrette are both cut on the mandolin, very thin. The chip is cut in one direction. The Gaufrette is cut on a waffle cut blade and the potato is turned 90 degrees F between each cut. Cooked like the allumette in one hot bath. Over browning in these thin types is a problem. Test fry potatoes when received and store accordingly. If chips blister, lower temp. (You may have excellent potatoes for Pommes Souffle'es.)

Soufflé: Very mature potatoes are peeled, cut in half on the long axis, and then cut in half circles 1/8 inch thick. These are rested in ice water for 1/2 hour and blanched soft at 300 degrees F. They are finished in 400 degrees F hot fat to puff, and served in a boat folded linen napkin.

O'Brian: Cut as for Pont Neuf, and then in dice. Fry and mix with onions and green peppers sauté with bacon. (Try a dash of Tabasco.)

Coney Island Fries: At least one fortune was made on the Coney Island Fry, great with hot dogs. Don't peel, cut in half with a waffle cutter, then cut triangular wedges with the waffle cutter. Blanch by boiling in water until almost done, deep fry at 350 degrees F until golden. Some connesewers* of the type insist that they be held in a paper bag until the bag is semi transparent and the potatoes are soggy, but we prefer them crispy, with lots of catsup. We do agree that they should be eaten from a paper bag, preferably while walking on the boardwalk. (*intentional) These are also great with malt vinegar and batter fried cod as fish and chips.

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