French · Main
Frites
The double-fry canon — a soft blanch then a hard crisp; hollow-light inside, glass-crisp outside, salted the second they land
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- Maris Piper / Bintje potatoes — 1.2 kg
- Frying oil (rapeseed or beef dripping for heresy-free flavour) — 2.5 L
- Fine salt — 6 g
- Fleur de sel — 3 g
Method
- Peel; cut into 1 cm × 1 cm batons of even length.
- Rinse in cold water until it runs clear; soak 30 min; dry COMPLETELY on cloths — water is the enemy of crispness.
- First fry at 140 °C, in two batches, 6–7 min: cooked through, floppy, no colour.
- Drain; rest at least 20 min on a rack (or chill uncovered up to 24 h — even better).
- Second fry at 180 °C, 2–3 min, until deep gold and rigid — they should 'tick' against each other.
- Drain 10 sec; toss with fleur de sel in a wide bowl.
- Serve within 3 minutes, never covered.