Monday 12 March 2012

Easy Home-made Frech Fries

I have been cooking so much lately, i have had no time to talk about it. And these french fries have been featuring prominently as evening snacks most days of the week, ever since i discovered them about two months ago. I saw them featured on The Pioneer Woman and they looked delicious. Not its easy to say no to fried potato whether they are really in front of you or just virtually in pics. But then i am also one for shortcuts. I usually don't have the patience for pre-planning. So while the source recipe tells you to soak the potato cut into fries for at least an hour and then fry them twice once in hot oil and next in very hot oil, that sounded too long winded and cumbersome to me. And it asked for a thermometer to measure the temperature of oil. There i gave up. But i didn't give up entirely.
I patiently read through why each of those steps were required. The potatoes after they are cut into fries need to be washed thoroughly to remove any starch from the surface, because the starch prevents a crisp outer surface when fried. The first step of frying in less hot oil was to make the fries soft, this i changed to boiling in water and straight after washing them too. No pre-planning or long waiting times. Dry them and fry them and you have what you need, what you can't resist. Now to tell you how good they are. My husband who refuses to eat anything at McDonald's succumbs to their fries. Tells himself (and me when i challenge him) that you can't do so much processing to potatoes and they can't be as bad as their burgers or chicken nuggets. He finally asked them how their fries were made, only to be told that they get packets of frozen fries imported. And how can they be good for you when they are being stored from ages ago? Seeing how desparate he was for fries, i tried these at home. They have been certified to be as good or better than what he was buying. He has not bought a single serving of fries outside since. We have fries with this wing sauce or tobasco but tomato ketchup or mayonnaise are good pairings too. 
Earlier this curry was the only one that used up potatoes in our house and we would hardly eat a half kilo every month. And now we have been using up loads of potatoes. Just a warning on how addictive these can get. You can't blame me later.

Inspired from here
Prep time: 5 - 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Serves: 2-4 based on your portion size

Ingredients
3 large potatoes
4 cups water
oil for frying
salt to taste
Method
  1. Peel and rinse the potatoes, then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in four or five vertical pieces, then cutting each piece into sticks. Or use a french fry cutter. I have used both methods
  2. Wash the potato sticks until the water runs clear. Place them in a large saucepan. Pour water into the pan until it is one inch above the potatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt, stir. Boil on high heat for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are tender when cut with a fork or knife. Drain and dry on paper towels
  3. Heat oil in a heavy pot or kadai. You need between 1-2 inches of oil but the pot must not be more than half full with oil. Test whether the oil is at correct temperature by dropping one small potato stick, if it floats to the top immediately, it is ready.
  4. Fry the potatoes in batches for about 6-8 minutes. Stay away from the stove and drop the potatoes gently into the oil. I use the same slotted spoon for putting the potatoes in oil as i use to take them out. As soon as you add the potatoes the oil will bubble and rise up by 1-2 inches which is why you should not fill your pot with oil more than half full. 
  5. When the fries are ready, the potato sticks will all float to the top, the bubbles are at a minimum and the they will have slightly shrunk in size. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt right after taking them out of oil and serve.
Tastes best when eaten within minutes of making them. I serve each batch of fries as they come out of the oven and finish eating a batch before the next one comes out. That is why what you see in the above pics are only a third of what we ate that day.
 
Linking this to Sobha's Just 4 fun event at Good Food.  

38 comments:

  1. Yum! Who doesn't like french fries!! These look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They have come put perfect. Yet to find a person who says no to french fries.

    Tickling Palates
    Event : Let’s Cook – Greens

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amma makes this for me when I was in school. making me so nostalgic. Looks so yummy

    ReplyDelete
  4. My mom used to make these when we were children...she would boil potatoes, then cut them into thick pieces cos she said thicker the potato the crunchier they are and then fry them and sprinkle salt and red chilly powder...we would devour them...seeing your French fires took me back to those days... once you taste the fresh ones, the frozen ones really do pale in taste...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i am so surprised to hear you and Vimitha tell me they bring back childhood memories. My mom never, and i mean never, made fried potatoes as a snack, though she made samosas.
      Planning to make thick ones too, as soon as our french fry cutter goes kaput. The last one we bought at shoppers stop didn't last two months. This one was from a local exhibition in january, supposedly stonger, only time will tell.

      Delete
    2. Seems like you have an old bone to pick with your mom :-) In your mom's defence my mother hardly ever made samosas...that was my aunt's speciality :-) Replied to my in my blog...

      Delete
    3. Yeah, she never let me eat junk food, and probably won't like that i am making french fries now :-)

      Delete
  5. this fries looks just hot n spicy dear..colourful pics as always....loved it.....
    Maha

    ReplyDelete
  6. They look so good especially the one with the black pepper..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Look yummy dear. Love fries as much as my waistline which is enormous.
    Thanks for your comment dear but my squeamishness when it comes to cooking non veg food is legendary.
    Since she is no more I will try to get the recipe from her children but I am doubtful if they know or ask them to find out and send it to you. Is that okay?

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh,...i want these right away..though im struggling hard to avoid fried stuff

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wait a second...there are oil thermometers? I had no idea. Apparently I live under a rock!

    These look delicious. Great way to brighten up a dull Monday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if all cooking thermometers are one, but i have definitely heard of candy thermometer that can be used to make nougat and lollipops and the like. Not sure if the same can measure oil temperatures too. But really who does things so precisely!

      Delete
  10. not a big fan of fries but given a choice, I would also opt for home made ones any day. These look scrummy!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fried potato wedges and tinned cocktail sausages, also fried - standard entertainment fare at our house when I was a kid. I've never eaten that combination or the sausages cooked like that again, but I do remember the taste. They were not technically French fries but we always called them that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, that's interesting. Fried cocktail sausages.. some food for thought

      Delete
  12. i used to have these a lot when I was a kid, mom used to make these...they sure look tempting and yummy !! Thanx a lot for sending it to my event dear :)

    Join the Just "4" Fun event :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I saw one of those cutters on tv the other night. They look incredibly easy to use! These look super yummy :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. yummy fries!.had them growing up..and have them now...and i look like a football!.your mom was on the right track...........but seriously yum fries.

    ReplyDelete
  15. see i can finish it off !!yummiesss

    ReplyDelete
  16. been searching for that potato chopper for ages! where did u find them in hyd?? once i get hold of that im making these deleciously crisp looking fries for sure, my husband is a BIG fan of these, can gobble them up by the bucket-full :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This particular one i bought at the Nampally Industrial exhibition last month for less than 500 rupees(can't remember how much exactly). Shoppers stop has a similar one in stock for 995 but won't take too much pressure. Mine broke in less than 2 months when i tried to chop another onion after the contained below was full.
      But its not much trouble to hand cut them either. It takes equal time if you consider washing up the cutter afterwards.

      Delete
  17. One of my favorite fast food....looks crunchy and yum....

    ReplyDelete
  18. They look scrumptious! I always make my French fries and it is a very easy task...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  19. looks perfect!so well made. btw for the neem leaves dish, it defintely is bitter but not like the matured leaves. also having it with rice and fried eggplant reduces the bitterness. try it, its really good for health especially for kids.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Perfectly made fries!! Feel like grabbing them right now :) So happy to follow you too :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. i didn't know that you had to wash it for the starch to go ..no wonder every time my MIL did..it would just be soggy.. Looks really good la :)

    Ongoing Event: I'm a STAR

    ReplyDelete
  22. French fries made at home sounds more delicious than any store bought/frozen ones. So perfectly made :-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I just love french frie!!!! Cant live without them!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Fries looks yummy..:) It is one of those munchies that you cannot live with..:))
    Thanks for sharing dear..:))
    Glad to follow you..
    Reva

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh yum! I love fries. Anything with potatoes: just count me in. Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello La,
    I have 'tagged' you in my post and would love to have you come over and take a look:)Hope it will be fun for you!!Do stop by!
    http://witwokandwisdom.blogspot.com/2012/03/of-tags-and-awards-and-much-delayed-ode.html

    Cheers,
    Sudha

    ReplyDelete
  27. Woww.. looks super perfect and tempting.. nice job dear !!
    Indian Cuisine

    ReplyDelete

Your words are my fuel. Thank you for your time here and your feedback.