Recipe: JW Fries
Page: 243
Date Cooked: November 12, 2011
The ultimate French fry, an elusive item many of us seek. And I don't think I am alone in saying that it appears almost impossible to achieve the perfect French fry at home. It's as if no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to taste like a restaurant fry. Well Jonathan Waxman claims that his recipe is well, "a pain...but well worth it to achieve the ultimate French fries." As suggested by JW, these French fries are a perfect accompaniment to Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.
Let me just start off by saying, these French fries really are a pain and require two days, not of actual work, but of planning. First, I peeled the potatoes, placed them in a bowl of ice water, and refrigerated overnight. The whole idea behind potatoes in ice water is to get rid of a lot of the starch that is on the surface of the potato.
The next morning, I cut the potatoes lengthwise into fries that were about 1/2 inch wide. As I cut the potatoes, I put them in cold water.
In the meantime, I heated the corn oil in a heavy pot. Once the oil was hot enough, I drained the potatoes and patted them dry. I was then ready to simply blanch the potatoes in the hot oil for just a few minutes. Since the potatoes are actually fried twice, I didn't want the potatoes to achieve any kind of color. After blanching, I drained and cooled the fries on paper towels.
After I blanched all my potatoes in batches, I spread them onto a baking sheet and refrigerated for almost 6 hours, uncovered.
Finally, the last step was upon me. I brought the French fries to room temperature and also heated the corn oil. I fried the potatoes in batches until they achieved a crisp, golden brown.
I drained the potatoes on a brown paper bag, sprinkled with sea salt, and they were ready to serve.
JW Fries involve a number of steps and heck almost two full days. So the ultimate question is: Was it worth it? ....... Well, I can tell you this...the fries were amazing. I have never been able to achieve that good of a fry at home...ever! They were crispy and yet still had a lot of potato (I'm not the biggest fan of just pure crunch and no potato). There is no doubt that it yielded restaurant quality ultimate French fries.
However, it DID take quite some time to prepare. Regardless of the point that actual cooking time was minimal. Planning this out was a bit of a pain.
So, would I make them again. Honestly, I can't say yes or no. I just don't know. I will say one thing, they did taste damn good with that Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.
Page: 243
Date Cooked: November 12, 2011
The ultimate French fry, an elusive item many of us seek. And I don't think I am alone in saying that it appears almost impossible to achieve the perfect French fry at home. It's as if no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to taste like a restaurant fry. Well Jonathan Waxman claims that his recipe is well, "a pain...but well worth it to achieve the ultimate French fries." As suggested by JW, these French fries are a perfect accompaniment to Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.
 |
| Ingredients: Organic russet potatoes, corn oil, and sea salt |
Let me just start off by saying, these French fries really are a pain and require two days, not of actual work, but of planning. First, I peeled the potatoes, placed them in a bowl of ice water, and refrigerated overnight. The whole idea behind potatoes in ice water is to get rid of a lot of the starch that is on the surface of the potato.
 |
| Peeled potatoes in ice water |
The next morning, I cut the potatoes lengthwise into fries that were about 1/2 inch wide. As I cut the potatoes, I put them in cold water.
 |
| Left: Slicing potatoes Right: Soaking wedges in cold water |
In the meantime, I heated the corn oil in a heavy pot. Once the oil was hot enough, I drained the potatoes and patted them dry. I was then ready to simply blanch the potatoes in the hot oil for just a few minutes. Since the potatoes are actually fried twice, I didn't want the potatoes to achieve any kind of color. After blanching, I drained and cooled the fries on paper towels.
 |
| Left: Blanching potatoes Right: Drained and cooled potatoes on paper towels |
After I blanched all my potatoes in batches, I spread them onto a baking sheet and refrigerated for almost 6 hours, uncovered.
 |
| Blanched potatoes on baking sheet |
Finally, the last step was upon me. I brought the French fries to room temperature and also heated the corn oil. I fried the potatoes in batches until they achieved a crisp, golden brown.
 |
| Frying potatoes for the second time |
I drained the potatoes on a brown paper bag, sprinkled with sea salt, and they were ready to serve.
 |
| JW Fries |
JW Fries involve a number of steps and heck almost two full days. So the ultimate question is: Was it worth it? ....... Well, I can tell you this...the fries were amazing. I have never been able to achieve that good of a fry at home...ever! They were crispy and yet still had a lot of potato (I'm not the biggest fan of just pure crunch and no potato). There is no doubt that it yielded restaurant quality ultimate French fries.
However, it DID take quite some time to prepare. Regardless of the point that actual cooking time was minimal. Planning this out was a bit of a pain.
So, would I make them again. Honestly, I can't say yes or no. I just don't know. I will say one thing, they did taste damn good with that Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.
Enjoy!
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