Straightforward From-scratch French Fries
Before making these French fries, we had never deep-fried anything in our life. Sure, we had watched our and grandma fry calamari for Christmas Eve dinners, and the lingering smell of fried fish in our hair and on our clothes was proof that we had witnessed the frying, but we had never taken any frying projects on myself. Then last week, we decided it was high time to jump right in and made not only one, but two, fried recipes. Both will be featured here this week, starting with these French fries. Now, we love French fries. Love them with ketchup, with ranch, alongside burgers and sandwiches, on their own, piled high with cheese and bacon. However and whenever. It never occurred to us to make them at home, however, because we (mistakenly) thought they would be a hassle – messy and time-consuming – and we wasn’t totally convinced that they would be all that much better than French fries we consume away from home. We couldn’t have been more wrong. These are straightforward, speedy and DELICIOUS.
Prep is straightforward – all you need to do is get your Yukon gold potatoes and slice them up into your French fry batons, which should take less than 10 minutes.
Then you toss the potatoes into the oil, together. Without heating up the oil first. We know, it sounds crazy, but it totally works.
You get the oil up to a boil, cook for about 15 minutes, then start tossing the potatoes while frying an additional 5 to 10 minutes until they are nice golden brown. And that’s it! Seriously couldn’t be easier.
You take them out of the oil, drain them on some layered paper towels, season them how you’d like, and then dig in!
We are so excited about adding these from-scratch French fries to our cooking repertoire – totally rich and any time we're craving French fries we know we don’t have to wait until we're eating out somewhere, we can make them right here at home! And we have the ability to season them however we'd like. Such a liberating little frying adventure!
One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispy Treats
Two years ago: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Three years ago: Hearty Whole Wheat Bread
Straightforward From-scratch French Fries
Yield: 4 servings Skip store bough fries and make them at home- 2½ pounds (1.13 kg) Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, dried, sides squared off, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch by ¼-inch batons
- 6 cups (1.3 l) peanut oil
- 1. Combine the potatoes and the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat until oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are limp but exteriors are beginning to firm, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- 2. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Season with salt (and pepper, if desired) and serve immediately.
- Note: Do not use sweet potatoes or russet potatoes; the starch content won't hold up to frying in this manner.
- Yield: 4 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Total: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds ( 1.13 kg ) Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, dried, sides squared off, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch by ¼-inch batons
- 6 cups ( 1.3 l ) peanut oil
Method
- 1. Combine the potatoes and the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat until oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are limp but exteriors are beginning to firm, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- 2. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Season with salt (and pepper, if desired) and serve immediately.
- Note: Do not use sweet potatoes or russet potatoes; the starch content won't hold up to frying in this manner.
