The ManicaPost
Ingredients:
Large potatoes – peeled, and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Soak potato strips in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes, or simply parboil cut chips for about two minutes, then drain them.
Pat with paper towels until thoroughly dry, or wrap them in clean dish towels to cool.
The towels absorb all moisture from the potatoes.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to135 degrees C. Gently add potatoes to the hot oil and fry for about five minutes, stirring and flipping the potatoes occasionally.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate. Let them cool completely.
Heat oil again, but this time to 175 degrees C. Add potatoes and fry a second time until golden brown, five to six minutes.
Remove from the deep-fryer and blot with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to serve.
Another good tip is, for crispier fries, drain your fried fries in brown paper bags; paper towels tend to soften them, plus it’s easier to shake them up with salt in the brown paper bag.
Why soak potatoes for chips?
Soaking potatoes in cold water helps get rid of the starch.
Starch makes things crumbly and soft, and we want our fries to be sturdy and crisp.
Soak them for at least one hour, or as long as overnight.
The longer you can soak them, the better.
Store them in the fridge while they soak.
Why double fry?
Frying potatoes twice is the best way to obtain the crispiest result.
Why, you ask?
After you fry them once, moisture creeps its way back to the top of the chips, causing them to get soggy.
Frying them a second time removes this moisture.
Baking method:
If you prefer to bake these chips:
Soak the chips in cold water for at least one hour or overnight and pat completely dry.
Toss with up to 1/2 cup vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
·Place the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet at 400° F in the lower-third of the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Remove, toss, place in a single layer, and bake for 10 more minutes or until brown and crispy.
Make ahead method:
If you are frying them:
Soak the chips as instructed, dry them completely.
Fry them in batches at 360° for five minutes.
Place on a paper towel.
Let them cool and pat them dry.
Transfer to a plate/tray and flash freeze them for 40 minutes.
Transfer to them to a freezer bag and freeze them for up to three months.
When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and fry them in batches at 400° until golden brown, about five minutes.
Transfer to paper towels and season them immediately with salt.
If you are baking them:
Soak the chips in cold water for at least one hour or overnight and pat completely dry.
Par cook them in boiling water for five minutes. Remove and pat them dry.
Transfer to a plate/tray and flash freeze them for 40 minutes.
Transfer to them to a freezer bag and freeze them for up to three months.
When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and toss with up to 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet at 400° F in the lower-third of the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Remove, toss, place in a single layer, and bake for 10 more minutes or until brown and crispy.
Transfer to paper towels and season them immediately with salt. − Wires.
