Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a good plate of fries does. We all know that a great batch of fries can make or break a meal, even if just pub food after work. Either way, french fries come in a wide variety of forms and nailing down the recipe requires a little work. However, that doesn't mean it can't be done at home. Quit wondering how to make french fries as tasty as your favorite restaurant. This simple recipe will put your fries right up there with the ones you're willing to pay for.
How To Make French Fries
Ingredients You'll Need
- 4 russet potatoes
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt to taste
Tools You'll Need
- Deep fry thermometer
- Heavy pot
- Cutting board
- Serrated knife
- Baking sheet
- Slotted spoon
Steps
- Before you get started, wash and peel your potatoes.
- Cut each of your potatoes into 4-5 pieces lengthwise, then cut those pieces into sticks. The size of your sticks depends on your personal tastes. Thicker will yield great steak fries whereas skinnier sticks will give you crispy fries.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. Place your potato sticks into the bowl and allow to soak for 30 minutes to an hour.
- After the allotted time, drain the potato sticks and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Pat dry them with paper towels or let them air dry on the sheet.
- Add about 2-3 inches of vegetable oil into a large, heavy pot. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F.
- Fry your potato sticks in the oil for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to fry but not turn a different color. Fry your sticks in batches if you need to because you only want one layer of sticks per frying session.
- After the allotted time, remove the sticks with a slotted spoon and place them on the baking sheet. Allow them to dry completely.
- Heat the 2-3 inches of oil to 350-360 degrees F. When the oil reaches your desired temperature, place the potatoes back into the oil and allow them to fry a second time. Add them in batches and fry them until they're golden brown and crispy (or about 2-3 minutes).
- Once they're finished, remove them with the slotted spoon and place them onto another sheet lined with paper towels. Immediately add salt to taste.
Additional Methods
Playing With Seasoning
Salt is obviously a must-have seasoning for homemade fries. But there are lots of other ingredients you can add to your recipe that makes it all your own. Some seasoning to consider would be:
- Garlic salt
- Onion salt
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Basil
- Parsley
Experiment in the kitchen with the spices in your home. Having something homemade is all about tweaking recipes to your tastes. So, don't be afraid to try new things.
Varying The Length
As we mentioned before, you can cut the fries the way you want them. You can make skinny fries, which will result in a crispier end product (there's also the super-skinny shoestring option). You can cut them relatively thick to make steak fries that'll be just as delicious. Whether they're thick, skinny, or somewhere in between, these are your fries to make.
Choosing Different Potatoes
For the most part, russet potatoes are the way to go when you're making your own fries. The reason being that they don't have as much moisture in them and wind up making a better side dish. That hasn't stopped chefs from using other kinds of potatoes, though, and you can too. If you don't have russet on you then you can always go the Yukon gold route.
French Fry Recipes
Now that we have the how-to out of the way, it's time to look into how you can include fries at the dinner table. They're not just little side dishes that can be dunked in ketchup. There are lots of ways to incorporate fries into dinner.
Poutine
Even though it's a classic Canadian dish, this recipe is one that has made its way to tables across the globe. With just some cheese curds and gravy, you can make a delicious dish of poutine to snack on alongside your entree. Though, to be honest, poutine is sometimes large enough to act as an entree on its own!
You also don't need to stick with the traditional kind. Poutine can be dressed up in an assortment of ways from using sweet potato fries to throwing in some meat like pork or duck.
Chili Cheese Fries
Yet another recipe that knows the power of cheese on fries, chili cheese fries allow you to indulge in a snack even better than nachos. Dousing your fries in a heaping serving of chili and cheese makes this little side dish all the better. It's also not super hard to make.
Baked Parmesan Rosemary Fries
As we said before there are lots of ways for you to experiment with seasoning for your fries. This recipe calls for you to season your potatoes with some nice rosemary, cheese, salt, and parsley before topping everything off with a lemon mayonnaise. This recipe also includes the super easy directions for making the mayo.
Fries don't need to be store bought or as bland as once thought. Homemade fries go a long way, especially if you're willing to go the extra mile and spice things up in the kitchen with different seasoning. Don't forget that side dishes can be their own extravagant addition to lunch or dinner, all you need is a little inspiration from your friends at Oola.