Stuff your face with fries!

Yeah I had homemade fries and salad for dinner, jealous? And it was delicious. 

I had another post in mind, to kick off my blog breaking out of hibernation, but I made these again last night and realized I must share. Seriously... Make these bad boys and eat some of the best fries you've ever tasted, I'm not even kidding. They are crisp and almost a bit caramelized on the outside, but creamy and a little sweet inside. I'll admit, I'm not the genius who invented this cold oil method, the props really goes to Cook's Illustrated for that, but, I wanted to pass this on because they are the best fries I've had anywhere, ok, top 3 best fries I'd say. But with the two restaurants being in Bordeaux, France...this is better. The potatoes poach in the oil before frying, doing away with the need to fry twice. They actually soak up less oil and use 1/3 less of it as well (=less fat) than the traditional double deep fried version plus there's no scary dropping potatoes into hot oil!
WIN WIN.
You probably have some sad potatoes in the cupboard right now... so just do it already, you know you want to.

Serves 2 (as a side)

• 3 medium yukon gold potatoes- roughly palm sized, any low starch potato NOT russets, organic if you can  get it, scrubbed, dried, cut length-wise in 1/4-1/2 inch sticks
•  peanut oil, to cover about 3 cups (for frying)- other oils "work", but peanut is best for this
•  to taste kosher salt- I used truffle salt, but you can use whatever tasty salt you have on hand, or even just plain sea salt) 

Directions:

Total Time: 20ish minutes

1. Rinse the cut fries, seperating them with your fingers and drain them well in a collander (don't need to be fully dry) Put potatoes in a small but deep pot, cover with oil. There was only about 2in of headroom in my pot, and no oil bubbled over.
2. Cook over high heat until oil has reached a rolling boil, approx. 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are sorta translucent on the outside but firmed, about 12-15 minutes.
3. Gently stir the potatoes, I use a wooden chopstick for this, and scrape up any that stick to the bottom. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5-10 minutes longer. Don't be afraid to scoop one out and taste if they're done!
4. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels. Season with salt and immediately shove in your mouth.

Let remaining oil cool and strain it back into the container. You now have permission to make fries at least 2 more times, more if your oil doesn't get too dark. I will also say from experience that these make DELICIOUS chili cheese fries, if you're into that sort of thing.

Thanks to Anne for the loving prod of encouragement, I've been a lazy blogger, I'm sorry it took so long!