TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
FRENCH FRY DOUBLE FRY • 1 five-pound bag of potatoes (feeds six to eight as a side) • 1 jar of Meat Church’s Season Salt Ray If you want to make the best homemade French fries, you will need Yukon gold potatoes (Russett will also work), a French fry press, a large tub to hold ice water and fries, a serving tray, and your favorite fry seasoning. To start, slice the potatoes up by hand or use a French fry press. If you’re cooking for a large group, a press is the best way to cut up the potatoes. Once the fries are cut, I cull any bad ones and place the rest in an ice bath. The ice water helps pull some starch out and will also help produce crispy fries. I typically do this step first and let the fries soak while I prep fish or other extras. Soak time should be about 30 minutes to an hour. I cook on a two-basket Cajun fryer that holds about four gallons of oil. It takes about 15-20 minutes to heat up to the right temperature. This fryer setup makes cleanup a breeze, keeping everything together. I just have to turn on and off the propane at start and finish. Once I’m finished cooking, I just turn off the propane, shut the lid, and it is ready for me the next time I am ready to fry. When the grease is getting close to the right temperature, I pull the fries out of the ice bath and give them a quick dry. When it reaches 300-330 degrees, I put the fries in for the first time for three to four minutes. When I pull them out of the grease, they are undercooked, but that’s okay because this is just round one. I dump them in a big metal food tray from Sam’s and repeat until all the fries have had their first cook. This is when I let them rest for a while and move on to cooking the other items that need to be fried. (Normally, I leave the fish for last.) For the final fry, I keep the temperature around 350 degrees. That can be hard to regulate perfectly with frying, so you may need to adjust the cooking time. I put the fries back into the fryer for only a couple of minutes to finish them. When the fries start to change color, I pull them from the grease, shake off the excess oil, and place them back in my tray to season. The fries will continue to crisp up a little even after being out of the grease, so you want to make sure you don’t overcook them. Now it’s time to season the fries. One of my go-to seasonings is Meat Church’s Season Salt. It has become a family favorite. Once the fries are seasoned, it’s time to grab a plate and enjoy.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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