Perfect homemade fries/chips

On 26/07/2010, in food, by thomas

Good example of homemade fries. Not mine, they're always eaten before I can get the camera out.

Oh yes. Perfect homemade french fries. No, you don’t need fancy equipment or a lot of time. You just need some guidance. And I’m here to give it to you.

What you need:

  • Saucepan
  • Knife
  • Potatoes
  • Sunflower oil

Steps

  1. Fill the saucepan 2/3 with water and heat to the boil while you:
    1. Peel the potatoes.
    2. Cut them into french fries size.
  2. Boil the fries for 10 minutes. Should be almost eating ready in consistency. When done, let them dry on some paper.
  3. Pour out all the water of the saucepan and make sure it is 100% dry.
  4. Fill the saucepan with 1/2 with sunflower oil.
  5. Put the saucepan back on the heat. Keep a lid close in case of fire. Don’t use full heat, but above medium.
    1. Put in one potato slice as your control.
    2. If you have a thermometer that can take the heat and oil, make sure you stay around 180 degrees centigrade.
  6. When the control slice is golden, take it out and carefully put in the rest of your fries.
  7. Use tongs to lift out fries when they’re done. Or use a slotted spoon if you have one. Let them dry on some paper.

Tips:

  • If you’re making a lot, finished fries can be kept at 200 degrees centigrade in your owen while you make the rest.
  • Season with french fries spice mix or salt before serving. Serve with ketchup. Perfect with all kinds of meat or fish.
  • Don’t settle for the tiny size of McDonald’s fries. Double that is a good start.
  • Experiment with different sizes and forms. Creative fries are well received at parties.
  • You can reuse the sunflower oil. Just let it cool down and pour it into an empty bottle. Be sure to filter out any leftovers of the fries.

Enjoy!

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Creamy Potato Gratin recipe

On 18/09/2009, in food, by thomas
Creamy Potato Gratine

Creamy Potato Gratin

Time for food again. This is one of my favorite ways to cook potatoes. It tastes delicious, and it is really easy. It takes a bit of time though, almost an hour from start to finish. But it is worth it.

Ingredients:
- At least two small/medium potatoes per person
- Milk
- Whipping cream
- Garlic and/or onion
- Spices (pepper, salt, whatever else you feel like)
- Grated cheese

Recipe:
Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices (about 1/2 cm). Ad a layer of potatoes into a casserole dish, then ad spices and finely chopped garlic and/or onion.

Pour milk and whipping cream (about 50/50 mix, more milk if you are afraid of fat) until you cover the potatoes. Continue adding layers of potatoes, spices and milk/cream until you are out of potatoes.

Let it cook in the oven at 200C for about half an hour. Take it out, ad a decent layer of grated cheese, and put it back for another 15 minutes. Serve with any kind of meat. Great together with beef or pork chops.

Warning: This may very well become the main dish of your meal, so remember to make enough!

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