Clubfoodys French Fries

PERFECT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks.
• Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.)
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.
• Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should not be brown at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain on new/dry paper towels.
• Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and dive in!

CHEF JOHN'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Soak potatoes in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Gently add the potatoes in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping the potatoes occasionally. Remove potatoes from oil with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towel and to cool completely.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the potatoes again until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Blot with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to serve.

CLUBFOODY'S FRENCH ONION SOUP GRATINEE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and add oil. Add onions, garlic and sea salt; sauté for 2 minutes. Add pepper, stir, reduce heat to medium and cover; cook for 8 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. Remove lid, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Pour Marsala wine and continue stirring; cook until wine has almost evaporated. Pour beef broth and vegetable broth; bring to a simmer. Add thyme, garlic salt and bay leaf; cook for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, remove thyme and bay leaf.
• Preheat broiler and move rack on the second row from the top. Place sliced bread on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown. Remove from the heat, flip over and return to oven. When almost done, sprinkle Asiago cheese on two slices. Return to oven and cook until the cheese is melted.
• Place each toast with cheese at the bottom of the soup bowls. Ladle beef broth mixture over and then place toasted sliced bread on top. Place two slices of Swiss cheese per bowl, sprinkle the remaining Asiago cheese over and transfer bowls under the broiler. Cook until cheese is melted and browned, about 3-4 minutes.
• Note: For a non-alcohol version, use sherry vinegar.

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm-thick batons. Put into a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for at least 2 hrs to remove the starch from the potatoes - this will help them crisp while frying.
• Drain the potatoes well and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fill a deep pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 140C, or until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 60 seconds. Fry the French fries in batches for 6 mins per batch until golden straw-coloured, cooked through and lightly crisp. Drain well on kitchen paper.
• Turn the heat up until the oil reaches 180C, or a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the French fries again for 2-3 mins per batch until lightly golden and really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and immediately season with sea salt.

CLUBFOODY'S COTTAGE FRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
• Fill up a large bowl with very cold water and add white vinegar. Stir well before adding the potato slices. Swirl them around and let them sit for 20 minutes.
• Drain them in a colander and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Transfer to a large bowl and pour on oil, bacon fat and lemon juice. Season the potato slices with Herbes de Provence, garlic salt, hot paprika, ground sea salt and black pepper. Toss everything until the slices are well coated.
• Spread them evenly in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour, flipping them every 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and transfer the slices to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil before sprinkling with chopped parsley.

CLUBFOODY'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Using a mandolin or by hand, cut potatoes evenly. Fill up a large bowl with cold water and add potatoes, tossing them around to release the starch. Empty the bowl and refill it again with cold water; toss and refill one more time.
• Transfer the bowl to the fridge and chill for 2 hours and up to 24 hours for extra-crispy fries.
• A couple hours later, drain potatoes in a colander; let them sit for 15 minutes.
• Place a clean towel on a cutting board and drop the potatoes on it. Using paper towels, pat the potatoes dry; set aside.
• In a Dutch oven, heat oil until it reaches 300ºF.
• Working in batches, blanch fries for 2 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness.
• Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, remove potatoes and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels; cool while working with the others.
• Increase oil temperature to 375ºF. Add blanched potatoes (the temperature will drop) and fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• Scoop fries up and transfer them to a clean baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Transfer the fries to a large bowl and season with salt to taste.