When you're craving french fries, it's great to be able to make them yourself at home! For fries that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, choose russet potatoes that are high in flour. If you want to make fries without oil, use the oven to bake the potatoes that have been seasoned. The potatoes will be crunchy and look attractive. You can add butter to the potatoes before serving.
Ingredients
Crispy French Fries
- 1 kg russet potatoes, about 5 large potatoes
- 1 liter peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
- Salt, for sprinkling
- Tomato sauce and mayonnaise, for serving
Makes 4 servings
Baked Potatoes in the Oven
- 1 kg russet potatoes, about 5 large potatoes
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp. (5 grams) sea salt
- 1 tbsp. (20 grams) butter (optional)
- 1 chopped garlic clove (optional)
- 2 tbsp. (10 grams) chopped parsley (optional)
- tsp. (½ gram) ground black pepper (optional)
Makes 4 servings
Step
Method 1 of 2: Frying Crispy Potatoes
Step 1. Peel the russet potatoes and cut them into cm thick sticks
Wash 1 kg of russet potatoes, then place on a cutting board. Carefully cut the potatoes with a large knife into 2 lengthwise halves about cm thick. Place the potato wedges evenly, then cut them lengthwise into cm thick sticks.
If you want a simple potato, don't peel the skin, but rub the skin until it's completely clean
Step 2. Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Place the potatoes in a large bowl and pour cold water until the potatoes are completely submerged. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 8 hours.
If you don't want to finish the fries right now, stop the process at this point, then refrigerate them overnight. Next, continue the process the next day
Step 3. Drain the potatoes and pat them dry with a paper towel
Place the strainer in the sink and remove the potatoes from the refrigerator. Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain the water. Next, arrange the potatoes on a tray or plate that has been lined with kitchen paper. Prepare another kitchen paper and use it to pat the tops of the potatoes.
Drying the potatoes is a very important action to get crispy fries
Step 4. Put the oil in a heavy saucepan and heat it to 160 °C
Place the pot on the stove or use a tabletop deep fryer. Add 1 liter of peanut oil or vegetable oil to it and stick a frying thermometer to the side of the pan. Turn the stove on to medium-high heat and allow the oil to heat up to 160 °C.
- If using a tabletop deep fryer, follow the instructions provided by the product manufacturer.
- Make sure the thermometer is submerged in oil to get an accurate temperature reading.
Step 5. Put of the potato in the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes
If you put all the potatoes in the oil, the temperature will drop quickly. This is the reason why you should only put about of the potato in the oil. Fry the potatoes using a slotted spoon, then turn the potatoes occasionally and fry until the potatoes are soft and pale in color.
If you're afraid the oil will splatter, place the potatoes in the scoop, then drop them into the oil along with the scoop
Step 6. Transfer the potatoes to a paper towel and continue to fry the remaining potatoes using this par-frying method
When they are half cooked, remove the potatoes using a spoon and place them on a baking sheet that has been lined with paper towels. Next, fry the remaining potatoes in still hot oil.
- Par-frying is frying potatoes until half cooked. The potatoes will turn soft, but not yet crunchy.
- Check the oil to see if it's still around 160 °C before you add the next potato.
Step 7. Heat the oil to 190°C and fry 1 half-cooked potato for 3-4 minutes
When all the potatoes have been lightly fried, set the potatoes aside to wait for the oil to heat up to 190 °C. Next, carefully dip one half of the undercooked potato into the hot oil and fry it until it is crispy and browned.
The hot oil makes the outside of the potatoes crispy
Step 8. Fry the remaining potatoes until crispy
Transfer the finished potatoes to a plate lined with paper towels, and fry the remaining potatoes in hot oil. Continue frying the potatoes until they all turn golden brown. Sprinkle salt on the potatoes and enjoy hot.
Tip:
Make the dipping sauce by mixing the sauce you like. For example, you can mix curry powder with mayonnaise or mix mayonnaise with ketchup.
Method 2 of 2: Making Baked Potatoes Using the Oven
Step 1. Place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 °C
Place a rimmed baking sheet in the center of the oven. Next, turn on the oven to heat it up and make the pan very hot.
When placed on a very hot baking sheet, the potatoes will start to turn crunchy
Step 2. Peel 1 kg of russet potatoes if you want crispy fries
Wash about 5 large starchy potatoes and peel them off. While you can leave them unpeeled, unpeeled French fries will be slightly more chewy than peeled potatoes.
Don't peel the potatoes too long, as this can brown them
Step 3. Cut the potatoes into 1 cm sticks
Place the peeled potatoes on a cutting board and cut them into 1 cm thick slices. Place the potato wedges evenly, then cut them back into sticks about 1 cm thick.
If you want very crispy fries, cut them into cm thick sticks. Since they are smaller in size, reduce the cooking time by 5-8 minutes
Step 4. Mix the french fries with salt and olive oil
Take a large bowl and place the french fries in it. Add 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil on the potatoes and sprinkle about 1 tsp. (5 grams) sea salt. Toss the potatoes with a large spoon or hands so that they are all coated in the salt and oil.
The oil keeps the potatoes from sticking to the pan. It also makes the potatoes crispy when baked
Step 5. Arrange the potatoes on the preheated baking sheet
Remove the hot pan from the oven while wearing oven mitts. Next, arrange the seasoned potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer.
If you forget to preheat the pan, you can still place the potatoes in a cold pan
Step 6. Bake the potatoes for about 40-50 minutes, and turn them over halfway through the roasting time
Put on oven mitts when you put the pan back in the oven, then bake the potatoes until the edges are lightly browned. Turn the potatoes over with a spatula halfway through the baking time so they cook evenly and turn golden brown.
To test for doneness in the center of the potato, stick a fork into one of the potatoes and see if the fork lifts off the potato easily
Step 7. Remove the potatoes and add more salt as desired
Once the potatoes are crispy and browned, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the potatoes to a serving plate. Taste one of the potatoes and sprinkle more salt on the potato if desired.
The potatoes will turn mushy and chewy when they cool. So, you have to eat it immediately
Tip:
For extra flavor to the potatoes, heat 1 tbsp. (20 ml or 20 grams) butter along with 1 clove of minced garlic for about a minute over medium heat. Next, add 2 tbsp. (30 ml or 7 grams) chopped parsley and tsp. (½ gram) ground black pepper. Spread this herbal butter mixture on the crunchy fries before you serve them.
