the comfort of food

November 14, 2009 by Matt Horn

Matt is a chef at Amuse Bistro in Shawnigan Lake.

Most of the people checking out this blog will know me from the Masthead Restaurant in Cowichan Bay. With four great years behind me, meeting lots of great guests, farmers, forgers and fisherman, its time to move on to something new.

I’ve accepted a new job in a local pub. My goal is to turn a local pub with good pub food into a local pub with extraordinary locally inspired food. I look forward updating you about my new career adventure, the new menus and my new cooking direction.

In keeping with the pub theme I am going to share many comfort food recipes in up coming weeks. I am going to start in this post with the beloved french fry.

I have found the best potato to use when making homemade fries is the Kennebec. You might have look around a little to find these great potatoes. If you can’t find them, Russets are a good substitute.

The best way to cut the fries is with a mandolin, but you don’t need one, a chef’s knife works just fine. Try to keep the fries the same size so they all cook in the same amount of time. If they are different sizes the larger ones will still be raw while the little ones will be mushy.

The next step is to soak your fries in water. It’s best to let them soak over night. If your craving is to powerful just make sure you rinse them well to get rid of the starch.

The next step is to give them a bath in hot fryer oil. Preheat your oil to 320C. Dry off your fries off the best you can before submerging them in the oil. This will keep your oil in good condition. Water also cools down the oil so avoid getting any in there. If your oil isn’t hot enough your fries will be soggy.

Let them cook for about two minutes or until you can see little bubbles on their skins. Next cool them in your fridge on a wire rack on a baking sheet so the oil can drip off.

Once they are completely cooled off your fries are ready for the last step. Turn up the heat on your oil to 335oC. The more consistent the temperature stays, the crisper the fries will be. Put the fries in the basket and cook them to your preferred consistency. Be careful not to crowd the fries by putting too many in or it will change the temperature of the oil. Cook them for a minute or two.

Season fries with your favourite sea salt or a shaving of good Parmesan cheese.