Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pommes Frites

The problem with looking at cookbooks is everything looks so good. So when I saw some pictures for Pommes Frittes and didn't have to deep or double fry I was all for it.  We've been trying to eat healthier. No cookies for breakfast. Even added fish sometimes. Healthy is good but sometimes you just need a good batch of salty French fries. And this one was quick.And in my kitchen a bit dangerous.

Read the directions first, yeah I know, me and directions? This is frying. Hot oil. Really hot oil. I was following the directions. Got out my trusty cast iron skillet. Put the heat to medium-high to get the oil to 325 degrees, gated the dogs out of the kitchen. We were good to go. Sort of.

One big mistake! These were made on a julienne slicer. And very moist. Keyword with frying is dry. The potatoes need to be dry and the julienne slicer clumped them together and I didn't dry them well enough. Major clump. Caused a pretty big oil spill that scared me out of my wits. I won't show you what the dish towel looked like. Or discuss the smoke alarms. But after I got it all cleaned up and tried again they did end up tasting great. And our early dinner ending up being sometime after 8:30pm. And no one said a thing. They must be used to me by now.

It was served with a spicy mayo and a roasted chicken.

The mistake...


 But practice makes somewhat perfect and the last few batches came out good. I went back to slicing with a knife, they weren't as moist so there was no oil spilling over. And I dried them really well. Can't stress that enough.



Dry the potatoes very well and all will be right in the potato world.




Pommes Frites
Source: A Bird in The Oven by Mindy Fox

8 Russet Potatoes, washed, peeled, thoroughly dried and cut into 1/4-inch sticks
vegetable oil, for frying, leaving plenty of room from the top of the skillet
salt and pepper, to taste

Spicy Mayo:
Mix together some mayonnaise and
Sriricha, to taste, add more less depending how you like it.

In a deep skillet, heat the oil to 325 degrees F. Use a deep-fat thermometer to check the temperature. Carefully, in small batches, fry the potatoes to a deep golden brown. Carefully remove the potatoes from skillet using a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Let the oil get back to temperature in between batches. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.



Joining 
 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

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68 comments:

  1. Mouthwatering fries!Kisses,dear!

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  2. is there anything better, nope there is not, YUM!!!!!

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  3. Ohhhhhhhhhh those look delectable!
    Mary x

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  4. They look wonderful, Carol.
    I did that whole experiment thing that was in Cooks Illustrated. The hot water bath, etc.
    I know you love gadgets, do you have one of the electric deep fryers?

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  5. Practice does make perfect and these potatoes are the living proof of that! They look absolutely mouthwatering!

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  6. They look delicious, Carol! It sounds like it was a kind of scary meal to prepare though. I'm glad you are okay.

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  7. I'm going to have to look up that spice, as it's new to me - but we like mayo with our chips...and spicy is always good!

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  8. they look fabulous!!! fried is always good! I didn't know about foods being dry being better..thank you...now I want to make something in hot oil!!

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  9. Nothing beats the taste of home made frites; your really came out spectacular; I can almost taste them.
    Rita

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  10. I have never fried anything before (really!), and your story doesn't make me want to try it anytime soon. ;) Although the end-result definitely looks worth it!

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  11. This is so funny because over the weekend I tried my hand at homemade french fries and they came out okay, but just not crispy enough. I even had a deep fryer! And I made sure they were really, really dry as well. Oh well! Your dish looks nice and that mayo looks really good! Hope you have a nice Thursday!

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  12. You're killing me!! We're having salad for dinner tonight and you put fries in my face. You're right, though, you've just got to have fries every now and then. These look awesome with that spicy mayo!

    Glad to hear your kitchen survived and you didn't get hurt :)

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  13. I would love to have some now, they are great, anytime of the day, any day

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  14. Sorry about the oil spill, and the smoke alarm. That must have been pretty scary. Still, the final result looks great!

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  15. So sounds like something I might do. These look delicious. Glad all turned out okay.

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  16. I wouldn't, but I *could* live on fries no matter how you spell them. :)

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  17. Oooooooh, a subject close to my heart as I'm half Dutch and "patat friet" is a national snack. Your tips are great but there's an extra factor: the more flowery your potato variety, the crunchier the fries.

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  18. Absolutely perfect on a cold day like today!

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  19. Even though you had a long and scary evening, I'm glad that you persevered and had a great tasting end result. They look great. You can also use a deep heavy pot for frying...taller sides will help prevent an oil spill.

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  20. Thanks for the nice comments and the great tips. Next time I'll have to just pay closer attention when I make fries.

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  21. I am glad the second batch turned out... they look delicious to me!

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  22. ooooo, that looks so yummy! Ok, I've not the best history with hot oil, or smoke alarms for that matter, but those fries look like they'd be worth the effort. Thanks for sharing.

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  23. makes me feel better knowing I am not the only one who struggles when it comes to making fries hehe.

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  24. Yikes! It would have frightened me too! I have never made fries at home....but these sure look delish. Living in an apartment, I'd probably end up vacating the building!

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  25. Oh dear, I'm always worried about deep fat frying for exactly those reasons. I love good fries right out of the pot and it's worth the try. I'll just remember to dry them off very well. Your spicy mayo is the perfect dipping sauce.

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  26. Oh my, those fries look marvelous! I love pomme frites, we have a Belgian restaurant a few blocks from here that serve the best ones with three different sauces. Yum!

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  27. I'm weeping with jealousy! Would love me some homemade fries. I rarely deep fry because I hate the clean up. But these do look wonderful.

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  28. Those look amazing. I love the spicy mayo idea.

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  29. I actually think the first ones look really yummy. ;) I love crispy things. I've been wanting to try homemade french fries and this gives me a bit more confidence. Dry Dry Dry. Have you tried with sweet potatoes?

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    1. Not yet with the sweet potatoes but I've done sweet potato fries in the oven. And parsnips, too!

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  30. There's nothing quite like homemade french fries! I am a potato freak!

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  31. that happened to me once while making fried parsley and it was a complete mess, now I'm more careful :) by the way your fries turned out looking delicious

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  32. Always love learning from your "oops"..These look great, I always thought you 'New Yawkers' always ate that late!!
    Seriously, I'm beginning to think you want to remodel your kitchen and these near misses are to give Larry a hint...lol Do you have a dishtowel cemetery in your backyard????

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  33. Yum! I can practically smell and taste them. Thanks!

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  34. That sounds about the way I cook...LOL.... the fries (picture 2) look really good!

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  35. There is really nothing better than some home made fries. Love that you served them with spicy mayo - yum

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  36. Home made fries are just so good! I love to make them with sweet potatoes :)

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  37. You're braver than me!

    Love Foley's comment ... dish towel cemetery

    Kathleen, are you talking about the CI oven fries? Those are actually pretty good.

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  38. Those look yummy. The spicy mayo is great, too!

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  39. Thanks for all the nice comments!

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  40. I understand your issues and commend you for trying again! I just made a batch of croissants (my first attempt at making pastry dough) and let's just say that I need to take a break from that before I can try again :)

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  41. The spicy mayo sounds so fantastic. Thanks for sharing this!

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  42. Carol, they sound delicious! Too bad about the spill, I've done the same and it's pretty scary! Have a great rest of the day!

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  43. Yikes! I'm glad there was no major disaster! It sounds like oil and water don't mix especially when hot!

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  44. I'm glad you tried them! They are delicious, but I HATE frying anything. I'll let someone else deal with hot oil. Phobia!!! :D :D :D

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  45. Sometimes, nothing but french fries will satisfy. Yours look delicious! So glad it all turned out well.

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  46. Dear Carol, I am glad that you didn't burn yourself and everything turned out o.k..
    I do bet these were delicious along with the spicy mayo. Blessings my friend, Catherine xo

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  47. How yummy! I love these! Happy Monday girlfriend! ♥

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  48. Oh yum; Thanks for the tips...
    I always leave here hungry!

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  49. Deep frying always scares me. Glad that everything worked out well. 8:30? I always live on this saying that good food like good wine, takes time.

    I have to introduce that sauce on my table, sounds delicious!

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  50. FRench fries are the favorite most eaten food in Holland. What the best fries give is fry them on lower heat first for a few minutes so that they are done, take them out of the oil, let them cool of a bit while you do the next batch. Then make the oil hotter and fry the fries very shortly to make thm nice and crispy brown. And yes you always start to dry them first or what happened to you oil all over the kitchen, LOL
    Have a great day.

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  51. Even in a mostly healthy diet, there's always room for indulgence, otherwise - what's the point?? These sound like the perfect way to indulge!

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  52. Scary thought: I could TOTALLY make a meal of these. I can almost taste the hot fries dipped in that fantastic mayo. My mouth is completely watering and expecting me to feed it some. Sigh...

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  53. Perfection! Had them in France and they were like no other...now my mouth is watering!!

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  54. Oh! I love my fries with mayo, but yet have to try with a touch of spice...
    I am glad that you did not get hurt in the process.
    Hope you have a great week ahead Carol :)

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  55. These look delicious, love chips with mayo thanks to living in Holland for nearly 2 years.

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  56. I do believe that french fries are one of my favorite foods. I have several times taken the leap and made fresh homemade fries. They can be a challenge with too much moisture in the potatoes, the cooking oil temp...spills, smoke alarms (smile) but, damn they are delicious.

    I know that you enjoyed your batch of fries a/k/a pomme frites.

    Velva

    P.S. I can't follow directions worth a flip either-that's why I
    can't bake.

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  57. I haven't had real french fries in ages! They look so good -- even the "mistakes" look good to me, Carol--pass the salt and a napkin and and I'll dig in.

    PS:YAY for the GIANTS!!!

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  58. There's nothing like homemade french fries in my opinion. Sorry for your grease scare! I've definitely been there and have the new microwave to prove it (since the other one was black and melted!)

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