Fresh Cut French Fries With Creamy Ketchup Food

PERFECT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces, then cut each piece into sticks. The thinner these are, the crispier they will be. Place the fries in a large bowl. Cover with cold water, then allow them to soak 2 or 3 hours (or you can stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight).
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry.
• Heat a few inches of vegetable oil to 300 degrees F in a heavy pot. In 3 or 4 batches, fry the potatoes about 4 to 5 minutes per batch, or until soft. They should not be brown at all at this point-you just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain them on new, dry paper towels.
• Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil temperature reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil is hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on fresh paper towels. Sprinkle the fries with sea salt and dive in with the ketchup-mayo mixture.

HAND-CUT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Leaving the skin on, cut the potatoes into long thin strips and put in a large bowl of clean water to remove some starch, prevent them from sticking together, and stop the oxidizing process.
• In a cast iron skillet fitted with a thermometer, or a small fryer, heat the oil until it reaches 275 to 300 degrees F. Remove the potatoes from the water and pat dry. Working in small batches, fry the potatoes until they go from shiny to matte, 3 to 5 minutes (this is also called blanching). Drain well on paper towels. Re-heat the oil until it reaches 350 degrees F and fry the potatoes again, also in small batches, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside.
• Remove from the oil, drain well, and toss with sea salt and malt vinegar, or any other seasoning you prefer. You can also fry fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme with the potatoes. Serve hot.

FRENCH FRIES WITH HOMEMADE KETCHUP

Steps:

• To make the ketchup:.
• In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomato sauce, vinegar, shallots, sugar, fennel seeds, kosher salt, cloves, dry mustard, black pepper and cayenne.
• Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to very low.
• Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (and, during the last 10 minutes of cooking, often).
• Transfer the ketchup to a small bowl and let cool.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day or up to 3 weeks.
• French fries:.
• Peel the potatoes and cut each one lengthwise into slices 1/3 inch thick.
• Cut the slices lengthwise into sticks 1/3 inch thick.
• Spread out 3 kitchen towels.
• Scatter the potatoes over the towels and roll them up.
• Let stand for 30 minutes to allow most of the moisture to be absorbed.
• In a deep fryer or large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 325°F on a deep-frying thermometer.
• Working in 4 batches, fry the potatoes until just tender but not brown, about 3 minutes.
• Using a large skimmer or the deep fryer's basket, transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels to drain.
• Between batches, let the oil return to 325°F and use a skimmer to remove any potato bits that remain in the oil.
• Let the potatoes cool for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Reheat the oil in the fryer to 375°F
• Fry the potatoes again in 4 batches until they are a deep golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per batch.
• Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet lined with fresh paper towels and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Serve immediately, with the ketchup alongside.

GARLIC FRIES

Steps:

• In a deep heavy pot or a deep fryer, add the oil and heat to 325 degrees F.
• Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch sticks. Put them in a bowl of cold water and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain and dry them well.
• Carefully drop the potatoes, in batches, in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain well on brown paper. Let cool.
• Increase the oil temperature to 350 degrees F. When you are ready to serve, fry the potatoes again in the hotter oil until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well on brown paper. Meanwhile, in a small pot, melt the butter with the garlic.
• In a large bowl, toss a large handful of fries with some of the garlic butter. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, parsley, and salt while hot. Serve immediately.