Recipe - Classic French Fries

4 lg Russet potatoes; (Idaho)
peeled and cut into 1/4"
by 1/4" thick lengths
reserve nonuniform pieces
for other uses
2 qt Peanut oil
4 tablespoon Bacon fat; (optional)
strained
To taste salt and pepper

1. Rinse cut fries in large bowl under cold running water until water
turns from milky colored to clear. Cover with at least 1 inch of water,
then cover with ice. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (Can be refrigerated
up to 3 days ahead.)
2. In 5quart pot or Dutch oven fitted with cliponthepot candy
thermometer, or in large electric fryer, heat oil over mediumlow heat to
325 degrees. As oil heats, add bacon grease. Oil will bubble up when you
add fries, so be sure you have a least 3 inches of room at top of cooking
pot.
3. Pour off ice and water, quickly wrap potatoes in a clean tea towel, and
thoroughly pat dry. Increase heat to mediumhigh and add fries, a handful
at a time, to hot oil. (Do no overfill.) Fry, stirring with Chinese skimmer
or largehole slotted spoon, until potatoes are limp and soft and start to
turn from white to blond, 6 to 8 minutes. (Oil temperature will drop 50 to
60 degrees during this frying.) Use skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer
fries to brown paper bag to drain; let rest at least 10 minutes (can stand
at room temperature up to 2 hours or be wrapped in paper towels, sealed in
zipperlock bag, and frozen up to 1 month).
4. When ready to serve fries, reheat oil to 350 degrees. Using paper bag
as a funnel, pour potatoes into hot oil. Discard bag and set up second
paper bag. Fry potatoes, stirring fairly constantly, until golden brown and
puffed, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper bag and drain again. Season to
taste with salt and pepper, or other seasoned salt. Serve immediately.
Recipe By : Cook's Illlustrated July/August 1996 Fred Thomas

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #294

Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 17:27:41 +0000

From: Marilyn Thomson mthomson@worldnet.att.net

NOTES : For those who like it, flavoring the oil with a few tablespoon of
bacon grease adds a subtle, meaty flavor to the fries. Their texture,
however, is not affected if the bacon grease is omitted. Once you've peeled
the potatoes, you can use a mandolin or Vslicer, rather than cut them by
hand. To prepare steak fries, cut the potatoes 1/3" to 1/2" thick, and
increase the cooking time to 10 to 12 minutes during the initial frying and
just a few seconds longer in the final fry.