Authentic Belgian Fries French Fries Recipes

THE ONE AND ONLY TRULY BELGIAN FRIES

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325°F.
• Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep th oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time.
• When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches. At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.
• Heat the oil to 325°F. Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp. If you are inclined to perfectionism, leave some potatoes to fry halfway through the meal so you can serve them crisp and piping hot.

BELGIAN FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• First wash and peel the potatoes. Some people prefer them unpeeled, but I think they are better without the skins.
• Cut the potatoes lengthways to your preferred thickness. Maybe you want to use a French Fry Cutter for this? Generally the thicker they are the less crispy they may turn out in my experience. I tend to cut them about 10-12 mm thick (say ½ inch).
• Dry the potatoes on some absorbent kitchen towel.
• Heat the oil until it is bubbling. It is easier to use a fryer, but you can also do in a pan with a basket (which is what I did). Then fry the potatoes in batches for about 4 minutes at 125C. Do not let them brown. Then remove from the basket to a plate and let them cool for about 30 minutes. Line the plate with absorbent paper to clean off any oil.
• When you are ready to serve up, re-heat the oil and re-fry the potatoes at a higher heat (175C) than the first time (I used a bigger gas hob). Make sure the oil is at temperature before adding the potatoes. You should only need to fry for about a minute until they are just beginning to brown. Do not overcook.
• Drain on kitchen paper and lightly salt before serving.

FRIETEN (BELGIAN FRENCH FRIES)

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes in the form of French fries and rinse them well with water. make them dry with a clean dish cloth.
• Deep fry them 5 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius,
• take them out of the oil and leave them to cool down.
• Heat the oil to 180 degrees Celsius and deep fry the fries until they are crispy on the outside and golden brown (about 5 minutes).
• Sprinkle with salt and serve with mayonnaise.