Baked Potato Fries
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 13 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
These are not baked french fries, but rather baked potatoes turned into french fries. The miracle here (if I may call it that) is that this process allows you to skip the double frying called for by most french fry recipes. And, since the spuds are already cooked when they go into the oil, there's very little of the foaming and boiling over that can be experienced with raw potatoes. The only downside is you have to bake the potatoes today for frying tomorrow. This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: Reloaded.
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- 3 (8-ounce) russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons plus 2 quarts safflower or vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Specialized Hardware
Dutch oven
Candy/fry thermometer
Spider strainer
ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 13 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Procedure
- At least 12 hours before frying, heat oven to 350°F and position a rack in top half of the oven. Set an empty sheet pan on a lower rack.
- Using a dinner fork or paring knife, poke several holes in the potatoes to allow water vapor to escape during cooking. Coat each potato lightly with 2 teaspoons of the oil and sprinkle generously with the salt.
- Bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack until tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a potato reads between 185°F and 195°F, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight, unwrapped if possible
- The next day, heat the 2 quarts oil over medium-high heat to 375°F in a large Dutch oven fitted with a deep-fry thermometer. (As the temperature crosses 350°F, turn down the heat to medium so that you don't shoot through the target temp.) Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels, then place a wire cooling rack upside down on the paper towels.
- Meanwhile, slice the cold potatoes into half-inch-thick batons, leaving the skin attached. Boost the heat back to medium-high slightly before adding the first fries and cook 8 to 10 at a time until golden brown and delicious, 2 to 3 minutes. (You may have to adjust the heat to maintain the oil temperature, so keep an eye on it.) Use a spider to fish the fries from the oil to the prepared rack. Sprinkle with additional salt while hot and devour.
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