Your best homemade french fry techniques?

RoyB wrote:
MOONLIGHTRUNNER - How do you do the home fries and onions in a skillet. We ran into this in Gatlinburg TN way back then at a BENNETTs BBQ place for breakfast near the entrance to the Smoky natl park side of town.

Tried duplicating that but never had much success... Onions never turned out right each way would try cooking them...

Roy and Carolyn

Low heat, a thick, heavy, well-seasoned cast iron skillet and patience. Lots of recipes online for Southern style Homefries and onions. If you aren't careful and the heat is too high, you will end up with burnt onions before the taters are cooked and browned. A fancy upscale french version for homefries and onions is called "Potatoes Anna".

Here is a basic version. Like I said the key is a heavy cast iron well seasoned cast iron skillet. If the taters you had were thinly sliced, the restaurant used raw taters. If they were either thickish or cubed, then they used cooked taters. I've done it both ways. If I have leftover baked or boiled taters, then I need to eat them some way. Try both ways and see which way you like best. I also think that using a bit of bacon or sausage grease adds greatly to the dish.

This is a bit off topic, please forgive that, but it's my favorite way to cook potatoes.

Scrub medium/large baking potatoes, one per person. Dry them off. Slice in the direction that gives the largest slices, so that each potato is cut in 4 slices. Cut onion slices to go between each potato slice, so 3 pieces per potato. Dry the cut surfaces of potato, and butter each surface, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, whatever you like. Insert onion slices into potatoes, wrap in heavy aluminum foil, and bake on campfire or grill about 45 min to 1 hour until done. Turn often as you bake. Delicious!

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
We love the french fries at Popeye's Fried Chicken chain. They are crispy and spicy on the outside and soft on the inside. Looks like they battered the fries? Anyone know how they do this?

I have read that these companies buy fries that have light batter. The author didn't know what it was. He mentioned several fast food companies that use them, but I don't remember enough to list any.

We love the french fries at Popeye's Fried Chicken chain. They are crispy and spicy on the outside and soft on the inside. Looks like they battered the fries? Anyone know how they do this?

Cut them up kinda thick, and put the potatoes and oil into the skillet all together, then turn on the heat to med high or high. Make sure the oil completely covers the potatoes. Add a bit of bacon fat to the oil if you have it. They will take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Turn them at least once. Salt, pepper and a bit of onion and garlic powder (my favorite all around spice mix) immediately and enjoy.

Thank you so much for all of the delectable ideas. I did not know about the possibilities for pre-cooking/par boiling the potatoes. It makes sense, though. My homemade fries always taste a bit raw and that is likely the reason.

thanks!

We follow a recipe we got off the net.
Put sliced potatoes in a colander and sprinkle with sugar. Let them drain for about 30 minutes. The sugar pulls starch and moisture. Dry them, put on any spices and salt you want and put them in a 425 oven for 20 minutes, flip them over and resume baking for about 20 minutes. we start checking them after 10.
The sugar is the key and they will not be sweet.

Just do it in fry pan with a few tablespoons of oil and fresh cut spuds....maybe add some onions and garlic. Toss them around gently and don't make oil too hot. For flavor...make it olive oil. Lower fat and fresh spuds are way tastier.
Donna

Remember the apple cutter that cores the apple and cuts it into wedges? You can also find (Try Bed Bath & Beyond) a two-handed potato cutter that cuts a single potato into French fries. Much cheaper than anything discussed so far.

After cutting the potatoes into fries, soak them in cold water to get rid of the starch on the outside. The longer the better. This will give you a crisper fry.

I then put them in a baggy with enough olive oil to coat them when I shake'em up. Do any amount you want, then spread them out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle Mrs. Dash or any preferred seasonings on them and bake'em.

And, no, you don't have to "fry them twice." Can you seriously imagine a restaurant that has enough time to do that? Most don't.

MOONLIGHTRUNNER - How do you do the home fries and onions in a skillet. We ran into this in Gatlinburg TN way back then at a BENNETTs BBQ place for breakfast near the entrance to the Smoky natl park side of town.

Tried duplicating that but never had much success... Onions never turned out right each way would try cooking them...

Roy and Carolyn