Knife Skills 101 and “Messy French Fries”
Notes: C. = Cup, F = Fahrenheit
Messy French Fries
Ingredients:
- 2 russet potatoes per person
- Salt
- Black pepper
- ~ 1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Optional: rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, or chili powder
Process:
- Preheat oven to 450F. Cut your potatoes into long sticks, between 1/4in x 1/4in and 1/2in x 1/2in (knife skills for this are found at 28:00 in the video)
- Add potato sticks and ~2 Tbsp. (or two big finger pinches) of salt to a sauce or stock pot and cover with 1in of cool water (e.g. The water should go above the potatoes by ~1in). Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low so your water comes to a simmer (see video at 1:00:40 for an example of what that looks like) and simmer for 10-minutes.
- Once the potatoes are done simmering, drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Add 1/4 C. olive oil (try eyeballing this) and a generous amount of black pepper. Stir to coat. Pour a little olive oil in the pan you plan to bake with and spread it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add potatoes to pan (spread them out so they cook evenly) and place in 450F oven for 25-minutes. Halfway through the 25-minutes (I like to set an additional timer for 12-minutes to remind me), rotate the pan in the oven 180 degrees so you get more even cooking. After 25-minutes, flip your potatoes and put them back in the oven for an additional 25-minutes. Again, halfway through the second 25-minutes rotate your pan in the oven 180 degrees. If your potatoes are starting to look done at this point, you can take them out. Different ovens cook at different speeds, so they might not take the entire second 25-minutes to finish. Keep in mind, more color = more flavor. So Leaving them in longer will result in more flavorful french fries.
- Remove french fries from the oven and add to a large bowl. Season with salt and any additional seasonings you prefer. I’m specifically not giving you measurements here (See 1:54:12 as to why). Toss to evenly coat and enjoy!
Extra french fries can be refrigerated and cooked within in the next 2-3 days or frozen and cooked within in the next 2-weeks. The frozen french fries will have a different texture, sometimes described as “mashed potato-y” on the inside, which some people prefer.
For an additional recipe on Fried Garlic to top your fries, which you can make while simmering your fries, see 51:00 in the video
