Starch-Infused Fries

• portioner: Yields 350 g

Ingredienser

500 g Russet potatoes

100 g Water

50 g Potato starch

500 g Water

10 g Salt

Instruktioner

Cut into batons 1.5 cm / % in thick by 1.5 cm / % in tall, and rinse thoroughly to remove surface starch.

2 Combine with rinsed potatoes.

3 Vacuum seal.

* Refrigerate for 30 min, and drain.

Vacuum seal with potatoes in one even layer.

© Steam at 100°C/ 212 °Ffor 20 min.

• Drain.

® Place hot fries on wire rack in vacuum chamber.

• Pull vacuum until surfaces of fries are dry.

10) Blanch in 162 °C / 325 °F oil for 3 min, and cool.

• Deep-fry in 190°C/ 375 °F oil until crisp, about 3 min.

1 Drain on paper towels.

Anteckningar

Tips and Substitutions

Fries need to be preseasoned with a brine. Add salt (about 1.5%–2% of the total weight of the potatoes) before you vacuum seal them. We have found that this is essential because salting the fries when they are done cooking actually softens them over the course of about 15 minutes.

When vacuum sealing the cut potatoes, make sure they are in one even layer. They will cook more evenly this way.

Make sure to cool the fries completely between steaming and each round of deep-frying.

Cooling the fries in a chamber vacuum sealer both cools and dries the exterior of the fries–one of the methods developed by Heston Blumenthal. You can, however, air-dry your fries. Simply place the fries in a single layer on a rack. You can use a household fan to speed up the process, but it will give the fries a thinner crust.

We like to use our combi oven to steam our potatoes, but any method will work.

We use a 21 l / 5½ gal Branson 8150 ultrasonic bath set at a frequency of 40 kHz.

We recommend both the Waring Pro DF250B 1800-Watt Deep Fryer and the Waring Countertop Electric Commercial Deep Fryer.

Chefs have been deep-frying their potatoes at two different temperatures for years, but Heston Blumenthal discovered that cooking potatoes before frying lends a mashed-potato-like texture to the fry interior. Blumenthal recommends par-frying the cooked potatoes once at 130 ?C / 265 ?F, drying them, and then frying them again at 200 ?C / 390 ?F. We find these temperatures a little low when making pommes pont-neuf. We have also stuck to the traditionally prescribed temperatures in our other French fry recipes.

Infusing the fries with starch not only makes them crispier, but also helps preserve the crispiness longer. To avoid soggy fries, sprinkle on spray-dried vinegar instead of dowsing them with liquid.

Looking for a condiment more creative than ketchup? We recently served these fries with a bone marrow mousseline, but you can also find us eating them at The Cooking Lab with leftover mushroom marmalade from our striped omelets!