Because of the voting chart going around of which you choose 3 of 15 types of fries - a silly limitation, if you ask me - I looked up Belgian Fries. They are twice-cooked (as are McDonald's, which also coats theirs with a touch of white flour after the first frying), which seems to be the secret. Well, small batching also seems to be key. Included in the directions for serving was the sentence
Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp.
I'm betting that applies to fried potatoes in general. It explains everything.
Another "small-batching" warning: never double the recipe for New Orleans pralines. They wind up grainy.
ReplyDeleteI have never made New Orleans pralines, nor were they on my "might try this week" list. Yet I have the sort of mind that will nonetheless remember that should I ever decide to make New Orleans pralines, do them in small batches.
ReplyDeleteNow, of course, I'm curious.
RE: Belgian Fries
ReplyDeleteCirca 40 years ago had Belgian Fries in Belgium as street food fresh in a twisted-up cone of paper salted and served with flavored mayonnaise. Marvelous. First heard about it in the 1960s listening to WOR's Jean Shepherd's show. Shepherd is the author of Christmas Story. His radio show was Shepherd talking and often telling stories of a past America of his youth. He on occasion read excerpts from Robert Service and other off beat sources one of which was the Bull Cook books, three in number, available directly from Herder's, the late lamented outdoor equipment catalog company from the midwest.
Bull Cook is a cookbook series that combined travel stories of a Mr. Herder & wife along with recipes of food that they ate as well as recipes for traditional American fare. I had my doubts about some of the recipes because of their rendition of Caesar Salad. In the book the Herders had the Cos Lettuce being deep fried!
In Bull Cook, I think number one, the Herders travel to Belgium and discover Belgian Fries. The secret to the fries is not just the double frying of the potatoes, first at a lower oil temperature to pre-cook the potatoes then at a higher temperature to crisp them, but that the grease used in frying was rendered Beef Suet. I can almost smell the incredible aroma of those wonderful potatoes frying to perfection as I awaited being served even now.
Dan Kurt
Dan, this is exactly the sort of rambling reminiscence available nowhere else that this blog was founded to elicit from readers. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that you are a James Lileks fan if this is the sort of thing you like.
Didn't McDonald's use beef fat? Until they switched to veg oil. Their modern fries are still good when fresh.
ReplyDelete