Super Fly French Fries

The other day I got a hankering for fries. Not home fries, hash browns, roasted potatoes, or even oven baked fries. I’m talking real, honest to goodness real french fries cooked in oil. When pondering the thought of making my own fries, I remembered Michael Pollan’s book,
Food Rules, and in particular, rule #39:

“Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.”

He makes the following point:

“There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, fried foods, pastries, even drinking soda every now and then, but food manufacturers have made eating these formerly expensive and hard-to-make treats so cheap and easy that we’re eating them every day. The french fry did not become America’s most popular vegetable until industry took over the jobs of washing, peeling, cutting, and frying the potatoes — and cleaning up the mess. If you made all the french fries you ate, you would eat them much less often, if only because they’re so much work. The same holds true for fried chicken, chips, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Enjoy these treats as often as you’re willing to prepare them — chances are good it won’t be every day”.

Well, he’s right, I won’t be making fries every day, however, I sure had fun in the process. Think field trip meets science experiment. I made a pilgrimage to Sur La Table and vowed not to be sucked in by the rainbow colored display of Le Creuset cookware or the shiny measuring spoons & copper cookie cutters dangling from hooks. All this stuff is so fun and cute! No, I was on a mission for a kitchen tool that would help me make beautiful, uniform sized french fries and I would not be distracted by cookware eye candy. Yeah, a chef’s knife would work, but I was in the mood to mix it up with a brand new gadget. After a little snooping around, I found my new baby… a simple mandoline slicer. I brought it home and we made beautiful music together…and fries.

Super Fly French Fries Recipe

Ingredients:
2 lbs russet potatoes (approx 3 large)
olive oil
sea salt
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Wash & scrub potatoes ~ I like to leave the skin on. Slice in 1/4 x 1/4 inch strips with either a mandoline slicer or by hand with a chef’s knife.
In a large bowl, submerge sliced potatoes in very cold water. Rinse 2 or 3 times until the water is clear. This helps remove the starch from the potatoes. Let soak for 30 minutes.

If desired, you may let them soak overnight and prepare the next day. Drain water and pat dry slices thoroughly with a paper or linen towel. It’s imperative that you get them completely dry or you will be faced with dangerous splattering oil!

On a large platter, layer fresh paper towels and set aside. On stove stop, pour about an inch of olive oil into the bottom of a large fry pan, heat on med high to high depending on your range. (I went to high with a gas range.) After about 2 min, in batches, place sliced potatoes in oil so that they cover a single layer of the pan. Do not overload pan. Let fry for about 10-15 minutes*.

Pull out with slotted spoon or tongs, shake oil off and place on paper towel platter. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh rosemary as desired. Serve immediately.
Oh, and by the way…YUM!

*Please note: w/olive oil, cooking takes longer. Peanut oil is the desired oil typically because it cooks faster at a high flash point. I went with olive oil because it was what was on hand!

Tagged as: Food Rules, french fries, fries, junk food, mandoline slicer, Michael Pollan, potatoes, russet potatoes, treats