Belgian Fries Pommes Frites Recipes

POMMES FRITES - TRADITIONAL BELGIAN FRIES

Steps:

• Make sure after your potatoes are peeled and cut that they are dried.
• Heat up your oil to 320 degrees
• Add in your potatoes, when the sound changes to what sounds like a babbling brook, take them out. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Put potatoes in colander to cool for a couple hours. Toss a few times to get air around them.
• DO NOT EAT THEM YET.
• Once completely cooled, heat your oil up to 350 degrees
• Add in the cooled potatoes.
• Again wait for the sound to change this won't take as long the second time.
• Drain, sprinkle with some salt and dig in, dip them into your homemade mayonnaise for a real traditional Belgian frites experience!
• AWESOME!

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 FRIES (POMMES FRITES)

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 oil to 325°F.
• Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2-1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep the 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 or 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If fryer has a basket, simply lift it out to 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 the batches. At this point the frites can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.
• Just prior to eating, heat the oil to 375°F Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. 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 hot.

CLASSIC MOULES FRITES

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or straight-sided 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mussels, cover and steam until open, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl.
• Add the creme fraiche, parsley, butter, chives and mustard to the remaining cooking liquid and bring just to a boil while stirring to combine. Pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve with French fries.

MOULES FRITES

Steps:

• Tip the mussels into a large bowl of cold water. Discard any that remain open when tapped, then drain well and pull away any 'beards'. (Fresh mussels look black and shiny and should only smell pleasantly of the deep sea - the vast majority should be tightly closed. Avoid any that smell 'fishy', look dry or are mostly open.)
• Thinly slice the vegetables and garlic. Roll the chilli in your hands to loosen the seeds, then slit in half and shake out the seeds. Slice the flesh into thin sticks, then stack together and finely chop. Pick over the thyme sprigs, discarding the thick stalks, and pick the parsley leaves from the stalks. Prepare the chips (see recipe, below right).
• Place a large, heavy-based sauté pan (with a lid) on the hob and heat until you can feel a strong heat rising. Pour in the oil, then immediately toss in all of the vegetables, chilli and thyme. The thyme sprigs will crackle if the pan is hot enough. Cook for about 1½ mins, shaking the pan and stirring the vegetables until they start to wilt.
• With the heat still on high, toss in all the mussels and shake the pan so they form an even layer. Cover with a lid and cook for another 1-2 mins, shaking the pan once or twice.
• Uncover the pan and pour in the wine and Pernod. Shake and cook for another 1½ mins so the wine reduces by half, then cover again and cook for another min. Place a large colander over a bowl and tip the mussels and vegetables into the centre. Discard any mussels that remain closed. Fry the chips.
• Pour the strained liquid back in the pan, reheat and stir in the crème fraîche and whole parsley leaves. Check the seasoning; you may not need any salt. Return the mussels and vegetables to the pan and reheat, shaking the pan, then divide between two large soup bowls. Serve the chips and mayonnaise (recipe below) alongside.
• TIP: Make the mayo and prepare the chips before you start the mussels. Fry the chips after you have cooked the mussels and while they are still draining in the colander, then finish the sauce.

BELGIAN FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then, it's off to the chopping board! Start by cutting your potatoes lengthwise (make sure your discs are not too thick), then slice the discs into fries of roughly the same thickness. Don't worry if you end up with a few oddballs. Belgian fries are very forgiving. ^^
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill another pot with ice water.
• Once the water comes to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt. Add one big slotted spoon worth of raw fries to the boiling water and blanch them for 5 minutes. Remove with the slotted spoon and dunk into the ice water bath before putting them on a clean dish cloth/kitchen towel. Pat them dry. You want to get rid of any moisture before you start frying. Repeat until your entire batch of raw fries has been blanched. [I should add that not everyone blanches their fries. As potatoes have a high sugar content, they tend to turn dark brown when frying. By blanching them the sugar content is reduced and they'll get a nice golden colour.]
• OPTIONAL: I tend to go the extra mile and arrange individual fries to air-dry for a few minutes after patting them dry, just to make sure they're nice and dry before I start pre-frying them. We take our fries seriously in Belgium. Can you tell?
• Frying happens in two stages. You can use a deep-frier for this or a wok. I used a wok. Pre-frying: heat 1 litre of the oil until it reaches 150°C and start frying in small batches (one heaped slotted spoon at a time) for 6 minutes each. If using a wok, make sure you check the oil's temperature after each batch. After pre-frying, put the fries in a bowl with some kitchen roll to draw out the excess oil. Your fries will start to look yellow at this stage but not golden yet. [If making a large batch, you can freeze the fries after this step and save them for another day. They keep in the freezer for 6 months. You can also store them in the fridge until later on (if using the same day). If you're looking to fry the full batch, move on to step 6.]
• As soon as your fries have been pre-fried, it's time to turn up the heat. Add the remaining 0.5 litre of oil to the hot oil in the wok and heat it up until it reaches at least 180°C. It's best to keep the flame a bit higher throughout the second fry compared to the pre-frying stage. Keep an eye on that temperature, and remember: the more room your fries have, the crispier they'll be in the end!
• Fry in batches (6 minutes per batch) until nice and golden. When you take them out of the oil, you'll notice straight away whether they're crispy or not.
• Transfer to a bowl with some kitchen roll and add a pinch of salt.
• Serve with a good dollop of mayonnaise.

BISTRO POMMES FRITES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut lengthwise into sticks, about 1/3-inch thick, transferring them to a bowl of salted cold water as you work. Drain, and rinse until water runs clear. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a 14-inch straight-sided skillet until oil registers 375 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fry thermometer. Add half of the potatoes and distribute evenly. Cook, without stirring, until barely golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining potatoes. (Adjust heat between batches as necessary to keep oil at a steady temperature.) Potatoes may be prepared up to this point about 2 hours ahead of time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove paper towels from baking sheets. Bake potatoes until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Season with salt; toss. Serve immediately.

FLEMISH FRITES - BELGIAN FRIES WITH ANDALOUSE SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir mayonnaise, tomato paste, red onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, lemon juice, and salt together in a bowl. Cover the Andalouse sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Submerge potato strips in a bowl of ice water; rinse potatoes in several changes of cold water until water in the bowl is clear. Drain potatoes and pat dry.
• Working in batches, fry potatoes in the hot oil until just cooked through but still white, about 5 minutes. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Bring oil back to temperature between batches. Cool potatoes to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Increase oil temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Working in batches, fry the potatoes again until deep golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer fries to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Season fries with salt and serve with Andalouse sauce.

POMMES FRITES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes if desired; cut into 1/2-inch-thick matchsticks. Place in a bowl of cold water to soak for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan (at least 5 quarts) to 325 degrees. Remove potatoes from water; dry very well with paper towels. Add potatoes in batches to oil; blanch for 2 minutes (potatoes will not take on any color). Drain well; transfer to pans lined with paper towels to cool completely.
• Raise heat of oil to 375 degrees. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Add potatoes to oil in batches; fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain well; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt; keep warm in oven while frying remaining potatoes. Serve immediately.

POMMES FRITES (BELGIAN FRENCH 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 the 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 lighly colored but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out to 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 frietjes can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them. Heat the oil to 375 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.