Crispy Cubed Potato and Carrot Fries

So what kind of recipe am I sharing today, fried potatoes and carrots? Is that even a recipe? ;D Well let me show you a little side of myself here, it’s kind of like the trick of poking a cake with a toothpick, one of those “tricks” every mom seems to know, but not everyone actually does, and every now and then someone thanks me for repeating that good tip.

And for me this is another one of those tips/recipes, how do you fry potatoes? I know, I know, you can just buy potatoes meant for frying, but sometimes you can’t, or you don’t have any, or you simply have too many potatoes lying around, and if those potatoes are more the boiling kind than the frying kind?

What makes boiling potatoes different from frying potatoes is the starch level. On one hand that’s good, because boiling potatoes hold their structure better when submerged in a liquid, but on the other hand they will never get properly crispy if you try and fry or roast them as they are.

The trick here is to add something starchy to the potatoes. I used cornstarch, but you can use flour too, and that’s what gives the outside of the potatoes that crunchy texture. Since I cut everything into small cubes, there’s no need to parboil the potatoes before frying, and best of all, you don’t need to deep fry them in a pool of oil as well. I fried mine in a pan with just a finger’s depth of oil, which not only saves on oil but also gives you a lot more control over the frying. Yes, it takes a bit more work, but the result speaks for itself. Let’s check the recipe!

Crispy Cubed Potato and Carrot Fries

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

Sometimes you want fries and sometimes you just want a bunch of cubes hehehehe, gotta catch them all!

Ingredients

Potatoes – 3 (Medium)
Carrot – 1
Sunflower Oil – For Frying
Cornstarch – 1 Tablespoon
Sweet Paprika – A Pinch
Pepper – A Pinch
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

First, peel the potatoes and carrots, then cut them into small cubes, trying to make them all roughly the same size so they fry evenly. Leave them on a kitchen towel to dry a little.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with about an inch of oil for frying.

In the bowl with the potatoes and carrots, season them with paprika, pepper, and salt, and finally sprinkle with cornstarch. Mix well (I like to shake it well in the bowl) so that all the potatoes and carrots are well coated.

When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and let them fry. Since you are frying with little oil, turn them occasionally until everything is golden brown.

Taste it, if it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the season is to your liking, remove the potatoes and carrots to paper towels to drain the excess oil, and that’s it, ready to serve! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: Try to cut the little cubes the same size, they don’t need to be as small as mine, but it is important that they’re uniform, that way they’ll all cook the same way. Actually its best to cut the carrot slightly smaller than the potato, since raw carrot takes a touch longer to soften than potato, keeping the cubes even in cook time.

If you’re not going to use the potatoes right away, let them sit and dry a little longer, they’ll fry much better that way.

Pat the vegetables really dry before tossing with cornstarch, any extra moisture will turn the coating gummy instead of crisp, and it can also make the oil spit. If you don’t have cornstarch, use a bit of flour instead, it’s not quite the same thing, but the result is very similar!

Make sure the oil is hot before adding the potatoes, drop in a small piece of bread, if it starts to bubble, the oil is ready. If you add the potatoes while the oil is still lukewarm, they’ll soak up way too much oil (around 170 to 180°C, 340 to 355°F, is the range you want for shallow frying).

You don’t need to be constantly stirring the potatoes, you want them to actually fry, just give them a turn every few minutes.

A neutral oil with a high smoke point works best here, sunflower, canola, or peanut oil are all good choices, olive oil will smoke before the potatoes get properly golden.

Don’t crowd the pan, fry in batches if needed, overcrowding drops the oil temperature and steams the vegetables instead of crisping them.

Leftovers lose their crunch in the fridge, but a few minutes in a hot dry skillet or air fryer will bring the crispiness right back, the microwave will only make them soggy.

This recipe for Crispy Cubed Potato and Carrot Fries was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Batatas e Cenouras Fritas em Cubinhos foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.