Fries, Special Sauce & Martinis
for a happy hour at home
for a happy hour at home
As we head into the weekend, I thought I’d share the fry recipe I mentioned in my last newsletter: I’ve made these a few times now and am obsessed with how easy it is to make good fries at home! These get fried twice and the bulk of the time here is spent letting the starches come out of the fries via ice bath, which can easily be prepped earlier in the day if you’ve got friends coming over around 5 or 6. The martini recipe is for one, and is easily doubled/tripled etc. if you’d like to batch those out in advance. Total time from start to finish is about 3 hours, but active cooking time is only around 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
For the fries
2 medium-sized russet potatoes
At least 16 oz peanut oil or another high-heat neutral oil for frying
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flaky salt, a few Tbsp of freshly chopped parsley, drizzle of evoo, freshly grated parmesan and/or pecorino for tossing
For the blue cheese sauce/dip
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 scallions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 oz blue cheese, crumbled
¼ teaspoon garlic salt or granules
1 garlic clove, grated
A dash of onion powder
Pinch or two of kosher salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
For one gin martini
2 ¼ ounces dry gin
1 oz dry vermouth
Ice, for stirring
1 lemon twist, for garnish
For serving
Sauces of choice if you'd like anything beyond the blue cheese
Sidecar of castelvetrano olives, optional
Directions:
1. Wash your potatoes and slice them into your desired shape: I like a shoestring or something just a little bigger than that.
2. Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl with ice cubes and water so they’re fully submerged. (This will remove the starches and help to make the fries crispy.) Soak for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours: I aim for an hour and a half.
3. Place your potatoes on lots of paper or cotton towels and pat dry. The drier they get, the crispier they get! Heat a large pot/pan or deep cast iron and fill with peanut oil or another high-heat neutral oil until it reaches 1” up the side and an instant-read thermometer says it’s 300°F, about 6 minutes. While it's heating, line a baking sheet with paper towels (if you don’t have paper towels, you can use a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.)
4. For the first fry, add your potatoes into the oil with a slotted spoon in batches so you don’t crowd the pan: I ended up with 4 batches. We don't want color on the fries just yet, only looking to soften them for 4-5 minutes: they should stay the same color that they are when they go in for now. Periodically check the temperature of the oil to make sure it’s staying as close to 300°F as possible, adjusting the flame as needed. Transfer fries to the lined baking sheet/cooling raack and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Turn the burner off but keep the oil in the pan and set aside.
5. While you wait, make the dip: mash everything together using a fork to really get the blue cheese incorporated— 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1-2 finely chopped scallions and 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, 3 oz blue cheese, ¼ teaspoon garlic salt or granules, 1 garlic clove, a dash of onion powder, a pinch or two of kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. I used a couple small pinches of kosher salt. You won’t need a ton since blue cheese is so savory but a little bit really helps to bring the flavors together. Cover and add to the fridge until ready to serve.
6. For the second fry: line another sheet pan with paper towels. heat the oil to 400°F and remove your fries from the fridge. Fry in batches until golden brown and crisp, 1-3 min. Watch these closely: they change very quickly! Once they reach your desired level of crispiness, remove them to the towel-lined sheet pan. I like to hit them with a pinch of flaky salt right as they come out of the oil so it really sticks.
7. Place a martini glass in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. Once you make it to your final batch of fries, combine 2 ¼ ounces dry gin and 1 oz dry vermouth in a shaker with ice. Stir rapidly for 15 seconds then strain into the chilled glass and top with the lemon twist.
8. Transfer the fries to a large serving bowl and toss with a little more flaky salt, some fresh parsley, a drizzle of EVOO, and some freshly grated parmesan or pecorino. Serve alongside the blue cheese dip and a little sidecar of castelvetrano olives if you’d like. Enjoy!