Tuscan Fries
Our 12th country in our Eating Around the World Adventure is Italy. Now I have made a lot of Italian food in my life, but with this adventure I like to try something new, something I haven't tried before.
Now you say fries, really, you have never made fries before. Well of course I have, but I have never made them like this.
This one for me was a recipe of trust, I had to put the potatoes in cold oil, yes I said cold oil, bring the oil to the boil and then fry as per recipe, without stirring for 15 minutes, then stir, add in unpeeled garlic cloves, fry some more, add herbs and it's done. My theory was if it failed, I lose 1kg of potatoes and a bit of oil, no big deal really.
It did not fail, these were the best fries I have ever made, my family absolutely loved these, the fries were crisp and the insides soft, the fried herbs were fabulous. The garlic we had with the steak I served the fries with.
Now let me tell you also, you would think that by using this method the fries would be greasy, but they are not, they taste amazingly crisp and light. I also measured the oil as I poured it back into an empty bottle to discard it, the fries absorbed very little oil, it's amazing.
Normally I hate making fries, the whole procedure of frying them once, then cooling, then frying again, it's messy and time consuming and I don't do it. I will now be making fries for my family, not all the time, as I don't really deep fry that often, but when I do, this is happening.
Although I tell you oil temperatures, I didn't use an oil thermometer at all, just keep a watch over the fries.
I honestly will never ever use another fries recipe again, I found my recipe for life.
So if you love fries, but find them a hassle to make, give this recipe a try.
Now you say fries, really, you have never made fries before. Well of course I have, but I have never made them like this.
This one for me was a recipe of trust, I had to put the potatoes in cold oil, yes I said cold oil, bring the oil to the boil and then fry as per recipe, without stirring for 15 minutes, then stir, add in unpeeled garlic cloves, fry some more, add herbs and it's done. My theory was if it failed, I lose 1kg of potatoes and a bit of oil, no big deal really.
It did not fail, these were the best fries I have ever made, my family absolutely loved these, the fries were crisp and the insides soft, the fried herbs were fabulous. The garlic we had with the steak I served the fries with.
Now let me tell you also, you would think that by using this method the fries would be greasy, but they are not, they taste amazingly crisp and light. I also measured the oil as I poured it back into an empty bottle to discard it, the fries absorbed very little oil, it's amazing.
Normally I hate making fries, the whole procedure of frying them once, then cooling, then frying again, it's messy and time consuming and I don't do it. I will now be making fries for my family, not all the time, as I don't really deep fry that often, but when I do, this is happening.
Although I tell you oil temperatures, I didn't use an oil thermometer at all, just keep a watch over the fries.
I honestly will never ever use another fries recipe again, I found my recipe for life.
So if you love fries, but find them a hassle to make, give this recipe a try.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's cookbook Nigellissima
Serves 4-6
1kg waxy potatoes
1.5L vegetable or sunflower oil
10 garlic cloves, separated but not peeled
6-8 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
8-10 sage leaves
Sea salt flakes, to taste
Serves 4-6
1kg waxy potatoes
1.5L vegetable or sunflower oil
10 garlic cloves, separated but not peeled
6-8 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
8-10 sage leaves
Sea salt flakes, to taste
Now I'll start with you can peel the potatoes or leave the peel on, that is your choice, I chose to peel them. Slice each potato into generous 1cm slices. Cut these slices into chips about 1cm thick, again, err on the generous side.
Put the oil into a wide, heavy-based pan (approximately 28cm diameter and 11cm deep), and add the freshly cut potatoes. Then put the pan over a high heat and bring to a boil, which should take about five minutes. Keep a careful watch on the pan at all times.
Continue to cook the fries, without stirring them, for another 15 minutes. Once the oil temperature reaches 160C, turn down the heat slightly and keep the fries cooking at between 150-160C. (I honestly didn't use a thermometer). The pan will be bubbling vigorously. If the oil gets too hot or bubbles too hard, reduce the heat a little, and always keep a close eye on it.
Now you can very carefully give the chips a gentle stir with a pair of tongs held in an oven glove, moving any that have stuck away from the bottom or sides of the pan. Add the unpeeled cloves of garlic to the pan, stir gently again, and cook for another 5-10 minutes (watching the temperature and making sure the garlic doesn’t look burnt or the fries too dark), before testing a chip for crispness on the outside and tenderness on the inside. You might need another five minutes or so beyond this, but stand by your pan, the chips can turn from a cooked gold to a burnt bronze quickly.
At the point when the chips are pale gold, but crisp, toss in the herbs, then after a minute or so scoop everything out – using a spider strainer for ease, onto a tray or platter lined with a double thickness of kitchen roll. Once any excess oil has been absorbed, tip the chips off the kitchen paper onto the plate and sprinkle with sea salt flakes to taste, serving immediately.
Put the oil into a wide, heavy-based pan (approximately 28cm diameter and 11cm deep), and add the freshly cut potatoes. Then put the pan over a high heat and bring to a boil, which should take about five minutes. Keep a careful watch on the pan at all times.
Continue to cook the fries, without stirring them, for another 15 minutes. Once the oil temperature reaches 160C, turn down the heat slightly and keep the fries cooking at between 150-160C. (I honestly didn't use a thermometer). The pan will be bubbling vigorously. If the oil gets too hot or bubbles too hard, reduce the heat a little, and always keep a close eye on it.
Now you can very carefully give the chips a gentle stir with a pair of tongs held in an oven glove, moving any that have stuck away from the bottom or sides of the pan. Add the unpeeled cloves of garlic to the pan, stir gently again, and cook for another 5-10 minutes (watching the temperature and making sure the garlic doesn’t look burnt or the fries too dark), before testing a chip for crispness on the outside and tenderness on the inside. You might need another five minutes or so beyond this, but stand by your pan, the chips can turn from a cooked gold to a burnt bronze quickly.
At the point when the chips are pale gold, but crisp, toss in the herbs, then after a minute or so scoop everything out – using a spider strainer for ease, onto a tray or platter lined with a double thickness of kitchen roll. Once any excess oil has been absorbed, tip the chips off the kitchen paper onto the plate and sprinkle with sea salt flakes to taste, serving immediately.
Enjoy!
