Crispy Max Crunch Twice Fried Belgian Style Steak Fries

Who doesn’t love a big pile of homemade fries? This time around I went with thicker cut sticks, sometimes called Belgian fries or Dutch fries, or even steakhouse style fries, since they’re the kind you usually see served alongside french fries places all around Belgian and the Netherlands. Basically, we’re talking about french fries cut into thicker batons instead of the thin, shoestring style.

The trick to getting great fries at home really comes down to three things. First, you need good potatoes for frying, if you’re not sure which varieties work best, its easy its the ones labeled for frying at the supermarket is usually more than enough, since that variety tends to have less starch and fries up nicely or if your in a market just ask for the ones best for frying.

The second point is cutting them ahead of time and letting them soak in water, this dries them out a bit once they hit the oil, keeps them from sticking together, and makes them way crispier.

And finally, fry them twice, first at a lower temperature, which cooks the inside through nicely, because you want the inside soft like mashed potato but the outside good and crispy, that first fry takes care of the interior, then you dry them off and fry again at a higher temperature to finish cooking and get that super crunchy exterior. Alright, let’s get to the recipe!

Crispy Max Crunch Twice Fried Belgian Style Steak Fries

Servings: 2
Time: 40mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
Print

Should i make a jingle? Hehehe big cut, and big crunch, twice the fry for your tastificationnnnn, yeah i know i shouldn’t leave my day job! 😀

Ingredients

Potatoes – 4 (Large)
Oil – As needed for frying (Sunflower or Peanut)
Salt – A pinch

Directions

With some advance notice, start by peeling the potatoes, then cut them into thick sticks using a knife or mandoline set. It’s important to cut them to roughly the same thickness so they cook evenly.
Place everything in a bowl filled with water, wash the cut potatoes well, drain, and refill with water. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a few hours, up to 12 hours.
When it’s time to fry the potatoes, remove them from the refrigerator and drain them. Then, using a cloth or two cloths, or kitchen paper, arrange the potatoes and dry them really well.
Finally, heat the oil, you want it not too hot, around medium-low heat. If you have a kitchen thermometer, it should be around 150ºC (300ºF). If you’re unsure, or if the potatoes start to fry too much when you add them, you can always reduce the heat and add more potatoes to the pan, this will lower the temperature.
Let them fry, but you don’t want them to brown, so for that thickness, about 3 or 4 minutes. You want them yellowish and slightly soft when you remove them from the oil onto kitchen paper or a drying rack. Repeat until you have no more potatoes.
Then heat the oil to about 200ºC (392ºF). Or, if you have a piece of bread, put it in the oil. When the bread starts to bubble, then it’s approximately 200ºC (392ºF). Add a few potatoes and fry them until they are golden brown, which can take about 2 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove them to kitchen paper or rack to drain well. Repeat for the remaining potatoes.
And there you have it, some delicious, crispy Belgian-style fries! Season with a pinch of salt and enjoy!

Notes & Tips: Don’t skip the soaking step, it really is what separates a soggy fry from a crunchy one, and if you’re short on time even one hour in ice cold water helps.

Try not to overcrowd the pot during either fry, dropping in too many potatoes at once drops the oil temperature and you end up steaming instead of frying, you can add more in the first fry, but still don’t abuse, better to take a bit more time and they are perfect than rushing and they are a mess.

A splatter screen or deep, heavy bottomed pot helps keep things safe and the temperature steady. If you want extra insurance on crispiness, a short rest in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes between the first and second fry works wonders. And these fries genuinely shine on their own, plated up simply with a good spread of dipping sauces on the side, mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic aioli, or a spicy sauce all work beautifully.

This recipe for Crispy Max Crunch Twice Fried Belgian Style Steak Fries was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Batatas Fritas Belgas foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.