Fantasy or Reality: Cold Oil, Potato Batons, and 25 Minutes is All You Need For Crispy Delicious French Fries?

If It's Good Enough for Robuchon and Steingarten

It's Good Enough for Me - but More Importantly if It's Good Enough for the Colonel It's Good Enough for Me

My father is a man of few words unless he's had a second scotch or certain political opinions are involved, but when it comes to really loving food, he doesn't say much.

When we were planning his birthday dinner this year my mom asked "what kind of fries do you want" and he responded "those that Jennifer made last summer are my favorite."

When my dad brings up these fries a year after I made them that means two things, those are some darn good fries and I would be making them again.

So would you believe me if I told you that all I did was throw some cut potatoes and room temperature peanut oil into a dutch oven, turned the burner to high and left them alone for 25 minutes - save one stir about 15 minutes into the cooking.

I don't blame you for your disbelief - I didn't believe it the first time I heard of it - in fact I thought it was crazy talk. Cold oil - the only possible result would be soggy oily fries. One test of this method and I was hooked and appare

ntly so was my dad, the Colonel.

I first came across this technique perusing one of my very favorite cooking resources, Cooks Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com). A recipe for fries with this method was published in July 2009. I disregarded it initially but was so intrigued I had to look into it further.

With a little research, I learned that this technique is rumored to be how Joël Robuchon cooks fries at home. Yes, the same Joël Robuchon that was named "Chef of the Century" by Gault Millau (A famous french restaurant guide) and who has mentored such accomplished chefs as Eric Ripert and Gordon Ramsey.

Jeffrey Steingarten refers to Robuchon in his book The Man Who Ate Everything when he discusses a similar method for horse fat fries. Steingarten is one of the leading food writers in the world and a frequent judge on Iron Chef.

So, if it's good enough for Robuchon and Steingarten, it should be good enough for me - Right. Last summer I tried this crazy experiment - fries in a pot covered with room temp oil - and twenty five minutes later - perfectly crispy crunchy fries. And the toughest critic of all, the colonel, loves them - how can you go wrong. This recipe is a keeper!! (plus the fries absorb 1/3 less oil then a hot frying method - see explanation below).

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch batons (or 1 potato per serving)
• Peanut Oil (enough to cover potatoes in dutch oven or stock pot)
• 1/4 cup Bacon Fat (totally optional but totally yummy)
• Kosher Salt

Directions

Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch Batons (detailed instructions below). Place fries in a dutch oven and add bacon fat and enough oil to cover fries - then turn heat to high. After five minutes, fries should be at a rolling boil. Let fries continue to cook. After about 15 minutes stir to loosen fries from the bottom and break up clumps. After an additional ten minutes, or when fries are at desired crispiness, remove from oil and drain on paper towel covered sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve immediately. It is truly that simple.

Step - by - Step Instructions with Pictures

Many recipes out there for cold oil fries use russet potatoes and peel and rinse them before cooking. Reviews on these recipes are mixed and results seem to be inconsistent - I personally have not tried this method with russet potatoes.

The Cooks Illustrated recipe suggests using Yukon Gold Potatoes which have a thinner skin and don't need to be peeled and a lower starch content so the rinsing step isn't required. Two steps removed - I'm all for that! CI also adds a bit of bacon fat - they had me at bacon - and with such great results with the gold potatoes I don't feel compelled to try any other potato (however I would like to try these with goose or duck fat one day).

Square off potato by cutting a 1/4-inch-thick slice from each of the 4 long sides.

Cut potato lengthwise into 1/4-inch planks.

Stack 3 to 4 planks and cut into 1/4-inch batons. Repeat with remaining planks.

Place fries in large stock pot or dutch oven.

Pour in enough oil to cover the fries. (This is also where I poured in the bacon fat)

Turn burner to high. Fries will come to a rolling boll in 3-5 minutes. Resist the temptation to stir them - let 'em be.

After 15 minutes gently stir the fries with tongs or a slotted spoon to loosen fries from the bottom and break up clumps of fries. There may be a couple stuck to the bottom, don't worry too much about getting every single fry.

Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until fries are golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined sheet pan and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Now I won't go so far as to say these are healthy fries because they are after all fried - but the science editors at Cooks Illustrated established that they are indeed healthier then the double fried method. They found that the cold-start spuds contained about one third less fat than spuds deep-fried twice: 13 versus 20 percent. They explain:

Fries absorb oil two ways. As the potatoes cook, they lose moisture near their surface, which is replaced by oil. Then, as they cool after being removed from the hot grease, oil from their exterior gets pulled in. Because our cold-start method cooks the fries more gently, less moisture is lost (but enough so the fries stay crisp) and less oil is absorbed during frying. Plus, this approach exposes the spuds to just one cool-down, versus the two cooling-off periods of the classic method, so less oil gets absorbed after cooking as well.

So while these are certainly not guilt free fries, they are less guilty fries and any amount of healthier is something to be happy about - especially when it involves these easy and delicious fries. I hope you try this recipe - let me know how you like them.

Happy Cooking and

Remember Take Time to Enjoy

a Little Gourmet Everyday!!