Fancy Chips

masterK

I've seen an increasing number of pubs/restaurants serving really chunky seasoned chips with the skins left on. The porterhouse and Cactus Jacks are two I've recently had them in.

Has anybody an ideas of how to make these chips, is it just a matter of chopping the potato up leaving the skin and frying, then adding some paprika or other seasoning when they are ready.

Alun

masterK wrote:

Has anybody an ideas of how to make these chips, is it just a matter of chopping the potato up leaving the skin and frying, then adding some paprika or other seasoning when they are ready.

Got it in one!

bonkey

masterK wrote:

is it just a matter of chopping the potato up leaving the skin and frying, then adding some paprika or other seasoning when they are ready.

Pretty much.

You need nice, smooth potato skins...the rougher skins you tend to get when they'er more out of season don't work so well in my experience.

As always with hand-cut chips, wash them well, dry them well, maybe wash/dry a second time if they're still starchy. Then double-fry them...once at about 150 degrees for 5-6 minutes till they're soft, then once at 180-ish for 1-2 minutes to crunchy them up.

The seasoning isn't (in my experience) just paprika with salt. Over here (Switz) its getting increasingly easy to find "country fries" seasoning, which has dried onion, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, etc. There was a thread here some time back about this type of stuff, if memory serves.

Xmorpheus

Schwartz do a seasoning for "home fries" - you should be able to get it in the local supermarket.

I picked one up last week but haven't used it yet.

One that I HAVE used is some of the cajun spice rub that you get in the top of the Discovery cajun cooking sauce - need to be very sparing though - it can be quite overpowering.

BaZmO*

bonkey wrote:

Then double-fry them...once at about 150 degrees for 5-6 minutes till they're soft, then once at 180-ish for 1-2 minutes to crunchy them up.

Personally I wouldn't double fry them. I'd boil them for a short bit until they're slightly cooked and then through them into the hot oil to finish them off. They're also more healthy if done this way.

Ballyman

I tried that and they turned out like shít. The smaller ones just broke up into a mess.

Anyway, when they're cooked in oil, I can't imagine it matters much health wise whether they're in the oil for 3 or 8 minutes to be honest! They're still going to be covered in oil.

Roosters are the job for home fries. Skin on or skin off.

BaZmO*

You have to make sure that they're all roughly the same size and be careful not to over do them when boiling.

noby

A bit of extra effort and forward planning, but if you boil them and double-fry them you'll get great results.
Ballyman, after boiling them you have to be a bit gentle with them. Try to leave them cool completly between each stage (or even refridgerate).

rubadub

I saw Gary Rhodes do them once, he "boiled" them in oil, i.e. in oil but only to 100C. Then let them cool and did them in hot oil.

Many people call chippers that do the 2 step fry "reheats" as though they are bad, but it is the secret of chipper chips.