Salt and Vinegar French Fries
Chrissy Teigan consistently comes through with delicious recipes that are easy to pull off and leave you thinking: of course! Why am I just learning about this now?! Case and point: salt and vinegar french fries. They have the taste of salt and vinegar chips in a somewhat healthier format. Teigan has you cook the fries in a mixture of water, salt and vinegar so that the salt and vinegar flavour soaks up right into the fries. Ingenious. Generally I am not a fan of baked french fries. By definition fries should be fried. But like most people, the thought of dragging out the oil, standing over the stove frying and then having to find a way to dispose of the oil…it makes me tired thinking about it. This recipe is simple and avoids all of the mess of frying without sacrificing taste.
Make sure to cut the french fires consistently to ensure even cooking. You don’t even have to peel the fries, so take the time to cut them right. Also make sure the fries are dry before going into the oven. This will ensure that your fries crisp up. No one wants soggy fries!
Serve with ketchup or mayo if that is your jam, or just snack on them right from the tray.
Salt and Vinegar French Fries
From Chrissy Teigan, Cravings: Hungry For More
Serves 4
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 large russet potatoes (about 3 lbs) skin on, scrubbed
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
chopped chives for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450F.
In a large pot, combine 6 cups water, the vinegar, and 1/4 cup kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, cut the potatoes: Stand each potato up on its long side and cut in lengthwise into 1/2 inch-thick ovals. Stack the ovals and cut them lengthwise into batons.
Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Put the potatoes into the water, bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and placed on the lined baking sheet, letting any additional liquid soak up. Spread the potatoes out in one layer and blot them dry with paper towels. Let cool.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and toss with 2 Tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp salt. Divide the remaining 4 Tbsp of oil between two large rimmed baking sheets (2 Tbsp per sheet).
Heat the oiled sheets in the oven until very hot but not smoking, 5-6 minutes. Using an oven mitt, remove the sheets from the oven and quickly divide the potatoes between them, making sure they all actually sit on the surface of the pan. Return to the oven and bake until the undersides are brown and crisp and the top edges are darkened, about 20 minutes. Open the oven, scrape the fries with a metal spatula and flip them. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the fries are golden and crisp all over. Drain on paper towels and season with more salt. Garnish with chives, if desired.