Authentic Belgian Fries French Fries Recipes

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!

Steps:

• you will need an open (no lid) deep fryer , if you only have the kind with filters and lids , just don't close them, the steam has to be able to leave very fast else you loose crunchiness.
• Peel your potatoes , and cut them lengthwise into discs of about 1/4 inch thick (they can be a bit thicker if you like that) . Then slice the discs lengthwise into fries of the same thickness.
• Make sure your sink is clean , and wash your fries in cold water . Drain the water , and wash them again in new clean water. Repeat this a few times until no starch comes off the potatoes and the water stays clear. Dry your fries well , so there is no more moisture on their sides.
• First cooking . Put the thermostat for your oil to approximately 320°F or 160°C , not higher . Put a small to medium amount of fries in the cooking basket ( you will have to do this multiple times , if you put in too much fries at once you will loose your temperature and your fries will turn out horrible) . Make sure all fries are under by shaking the basket . During cooking you can shake the basket a few times so you know they're not sticking together. Important: To check if the first cooking is done lift your basket out and pinch a fry if you can pinch all the way through they are done (if you do it fast you will certainly not burn your fingers ), they should still look pale and white , stay with your cooking for this , timing is important.(repeat until they are all done , and let your fat heat up to the appropriate temperature each time).
• Take out the fries , shake them and put them in a big bowl to cool off , once they are cooled to room temperature they are ok to start the second cooking . you can keep these at room temperature for hours until you are ready to serve the meal , in fact leaving them a bit will only make them better , just put a towel over the bowl , no need to put them in the fridge(where condensationwould coat them).
• Second cooking. Put the thermostat of your oil at approximately 370°F-374°F or 185°C-190°C , this is usually the highest setting , or just below that . Put a _small_ amount of the precooked fries in your basket . fry them while shaking the basket in the oil a few times during cooking , you can even take the basket out a few times to throw them in the air (not really needed , but supposed to be good tor making bubbles appear on them :) . They are ready when they are a rich golden brown in color . I put them in a deep plate with a paper towel at the bottom , and use a paper towel to quickly rub the excess fat off them before i serve(paper towel on top hand on paper towel , make a circular movement , take out towel). add a bit of fine salt , and serve. best with a T bone steak or sirloin *grinn* but as you know , fries go with just about anything :).
• A bit of added history : The French will be the first to say that "les frites" come from Belgium. And it being true that Belgians have made and perfected the stuff for years and years, the origin of deep frying potatoes in oil comes from a monastery in Spain.
• Smakelijk (bon appétit).
• EDIT:.
• Recently I found out that Bintje potatoes have become commonly available in the United States . These are without a doubt the best potatoes to use.

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then, it's off to the chopping board! Start by cutting your potatoes lengthwise (make sure your discs are not too thick), then slice the discs into fries of roughly the same thickness. Don't worry if you end up with a few oddballs. Belgian fries are very forgiving. ^^
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill another pot with ice water.
• Once the water comes to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt. Add one big slotted spoon worth of raw fries to the boiling water and blanch them for 5 minutes. Remove with the slotted spoon and dunk into the ice water bath before putting them on a clean dish cloth/kitchen towel. Pat them dry. You want to get rid of any moisture before you start frying. Repeat until your entire batch of raw fries has been blanched. [I should add that not everyone blanches their fries. As potatoes have a high sugar content, they tend to turn dark brown when frying. By blanching them the sugar content is reduced and they'll get a nice golden colour.]
• OPTIONAL: I tend to go the extra mile and arrange individual fries to air-dry for a few minutes after patting them dry, just to make sure they're nice and dry before I start pre-frying them. We take our fries seriously in Belgium. Can you tell?
• Frying happens in two stages. You can use a deep-frier for this or a wok. I used a wok. Pre-frying: heat 1 litre of the oil until it reaches 150°C and start frying in small batches (one heaped slotted spoon at a time) for 6 minutes each. If using a wok, make sure you check the oil's temperature after each batch. After pre-frying, put the fries in a bowl with some kitchen roll to draw out the excess oil. Your fries will start to look yellow at this stage but not golden yet. [If making a large batch, you can freeze the fries after this step and save them for another day. They keep in the freezer for 6 months. You can also store them in the fridge until later on (if using the same day). If you're looking to fry the full batch, move on to step 6.]
• As soon as your fries have been pre-fried, it's time to turn up the heat. Add the remaining 0.5 litre of oil to the hot oil in the wok and heat it up until it reaches at least 180°C. It's best to keep the flame a bit higher throughout the second fry compared to the pre-frying stage. Keep an eye on that temperature, and remember: the more room your fries have, the crispier they'll be in the end!
• Fry in batches (6 minutes per batch) until nice and golden. When you take them out of the oil, you'll notice straight away whether they're crispy or not.
• Transfer to a bowl with some kitchen roll and add a pinch of salt.
• Serve with a good dollop of mayonnaise.

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat oil to 325°F.
• Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2-1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep the oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time.
• When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 or 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If fryer has a basket, simply lift it out to remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between the batches. At this point the frites can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.
• Just prior to eating, heat the oil to 375°F Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp. If you are inclined to perfectionism, leave some potatoes to fry halfway through the meal so you can serve them crisp and hot.

Steps:

• peel potatoes.
• boil in salted water for about 15 minutes just until potatoes are cooked on outside but still stiff.
• drain on paper towels.
• cut into slices with serated knife.
• deep fry in hot oil until brown and crispy.
• drain on paper towels.
• add salt.

Steps:

• SAUCE:.
• Stir mayonnaise, tomato paste, red onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, lemon juice, and salt together in a bowl. Cover the Andalouse sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• POTATOES:.
• eat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Submerge potato strips in a bowl of ice water; rinse potatoes in several changes of cold water until water in the bowl is clear. Drain potatoes and pat dry.
• Working in batches, fry potatoes in the hot oil until just cooked through but still white, about 5 minutes. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Bring oil back to temperature between batches. Cool potatoes to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Increase oil temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Working in batches, fry the potatoes again until deep golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Season fries with salt and serve with Andalouse sauce.
• NOTE:.
• Prepare the sauce the night before. It takes time for the flavors to meld. Allow the sauce to come to room temperature for serving.
• Fries can be cut and rinsed hours ahead of time and left in a bowl of cold water for use later in the day. Once fries have received their first fry they can sit for an hour at room temperature. This works well when trying to time dinner preparations!

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.

Steps:

• Frites/Chips:.
• Slice the potato into thin strips (2mm x 2mm) and rinse in salted water. Heat a deep fat fryer to 325°F/160°C (preferably using sunflower or groundnut oil). Place the frites/chips in and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Moules/Mussels:.
• Tip the mussels into a large bowl of cold water, rinse and then drain well and pull away any 'beards'. (Fresh mussels look black and shiny and should only smell pleasantly of the deep sea - the vast majority should be tightly closed. Avoid any that smell 'fishy', look dry or are mostly open.).
• Place the chopped onion, shallot and garlic in a saucepan with the olive oil, gently sweat them over a low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until slightly soft.
• Add the chopped herbs, and pernod or pastis if using and mix with the onion mixture.
• Add the washed mussels to the pan and cover with dry white wine, bring slowly to the boil, then simmer gently whilst stirring. Continue until the mussels have opened - discard any that do not open, this can take between 2 to 5 minutes.
• Add the creme fraiche if using, mixing through the cooked and opened mussles. Cover until the frites/chips are cooked.
• Whilst the moules are cooking, turn up the deep fryer to 375°F/190°C and salt the frites/chips. Add the frites/chips back to the oil for around 1 minute until golden and crispy.
• Serve the moules in a deep bowl with the frites/chips on the side - providinf plenty of napkins and a large bowl for the shells.
• Note - to make the best frites/chips your uncooked frites/chips should be washed in cold water and dried thoroughly before cooking.