French Fries
(courtesy of Lara Ritchie, culinary director, Nothing To It! Culinary Center in Reno. Serves 4 to 8)
4 russet potatoes (4 to 5 inches long each)
2 quarts vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fine-grain sea salt
Peel the potatoes and then cut into ⅓-inch-by-⅓-inch slices. A mandolin would be a great tool for this task.
Place cut potatoes in a bowl of water and let soak for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in refrigerator. This will keep potatoes from oxidizing and gets rid of extra starch. Drain well, then rinse and dry potatoes.
Heat oil in cast-iron Dutch oven to 325 degrees F. Carefully add handful or so of potato slices to oil. Let cook 5 to 7 minutes. You may need to stir potatoes once to keep them from sticking to each other. Cook until lightly browned. Remove from oil and lay on a wire rack nesting in a baking sheet. Let sit for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Raise temperature of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry potatoes once again, until golden brown. Remove from oil, place on wire rack to drain, then put fries in a bowl and toss with salt. Enjoy!
