Easiest French Fries
Total Time
45 minutes, with prep
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(256)
Ingredients
4, generously
- 2 1/2 pounds (1 1/8 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes (about 6 medium)
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) peanut oil
- Fine sea or table salt
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Preparation
Step 1
Cover your largest baking sheet with paper towels or paper bags for draining.
Step 2
Scrub potatoes and dab them dry, then cut into 1/4-inch batons.
Step 3
Place in a 4 to 5-quart heavy, deep frying pan or Dutch oven and add oil; it will barely cover the potatoes.
Step 4
Turn burner to high and bring oil to a boil, which will take about 5 minutes.
Step 5
Cook potatoes for another 15 minutes; do not stir; they’ll just break.
Step 6
At this 20 minute mark, use tongs or a thin spatula to gently scrape loose any potatoes that have stuck to the pan.
Step 7
Continue to cook, stirring only if absolutely necessary, for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until crisp and as golden as you like them.
Step 8
Use a large slotted spoon or spider to scoop potatoes from and spread them on prepared tray, tossing immediately with salt as you do.
Step 9
You can keep fries warm in a 200 degree oven, but the texture is really best right from the fryer.
Step 10
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Chef's notes
This recipe requires no peeling, soaking, twice-frying, deep-fry thermometer (or deep-fryer), temperature monitoring or even stirring and uses a fraction of the oil of classically twice-fried frites.
A few changes from the original:
CI has you bevel your potatoes into perfectly batons and isn’t clear what to do with the edges. I use them all; thinner pieces will cook faster and darker and I will generally fight you for them.
Oil choices:
Any neutral oil that can handle high frying temperatures will work; my favorite for french fries is peanut. You can add 1/4 cup of duck, goose or bacon fat for an even more delicious flavor.
Salt:
Always salt your fries when they’re hot, hot, hot from the oil. The finer the salt, the better it sticks.
