Hi Everyone, It is hard to resist ordering French Fries when a menu lists hand-cut fries, or house fries. For me, it conjures images of my mom standing at the stove, her lone, prized, non-stick pan filled with a little more than an inch of oil, and thick, hand-cut sticks of potatoes surrounded by bubbles from the hot oil. The kitchen smelling like your favourite chicken and chips joint.
Homemade fries are very different from the commercial fries we get at our favourite fast food restaurants and eateries. Hand-cut fries vary in shape and thickness. When cooked they are browner with edges of crispness that quickly soften if not eaten right away. The most enjoyable thing about homemade fries is that you can taste the flavour of the potatoes – white, yellow, gold, or russet – and marvel at the texture and mouth-feel. All of this makes it easy to understand why those of us who love fries gravitate to the menu option of hand-cut/house fries.
Last year a friend and I went to one of Barbados’ more popular restaurants in the north of the island for a meal. We ordered burgers that were accompanied by their house fries. It had been many years since we both had eaten homemade fries and kept remarking to each other how wonderful the fries were. The dish of brown, unevenly cut fries seemed out of place next to the plates of expertly composed salads and towering burgers. But you know what, the fries were done long before we were halfway through the burgers.
More recently a couple of friends who were visiting from overseas and I went out to another restaurant for an evening meal to celebrate a birthday. Our main dishes included ribs, fish and chicken; one of us ordered house fries (guilty) to accompany their meal. I offered the fries to my friends. As soon as they tasted the fries our server was summoned and two portions of fries were ordered, the other sides mostly ignored. The way we were fussing over the house fries one would believe that we had never had fries before. In their simplicity they were that good. Days later we were still talking about the fries.
Everyone who I have spoken to about homemade fries has memories of this dish firmly rooted in their childhood – warm, comforting memories. When last have you had some homemade fries? Make some today, share, and take a trip down memory lane.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds potatoes
Tap water
Oil for pan-frying
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Peel and cut potatoes into strips – make them as thick or thin as you like. Transfer the cut potatoes to a bowl and cover with tap water. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Drain potatoes, rinse and drain well. Pat the potatoes dry with a clean, cloth kitchen towel.
Add oil to a frying pan that comes to about 1½ inches deep over medium heat.
Working in batches fry the potatoes until brown and crisp (about 8 – 10 minutes). The time will vary depending on the type of potato and the size of the cut.
Drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt.
NOTES
Instead of peeling the potatoes, scrub the skin and cook the fries skin on – it will add fibre.
Soaking the potatoes helps to remove the excess starch and enables the potatoes to cook up quicker.
You can season the water with salt to taste, this way you won’t need to season the fries when they are done cooking.
Cynthia
