Within the culinary maze of online recipes, there remains the enigma of the perfectly fried chip. Having traversed many a website in my search for the ultimate in fried potatoes, I have struggled to find one that adequately matches the crispy spuds that live in my imagination. Through my research, it seems that all roads lead to a long soak in water before double frying at temperatures that I’m not convinced are appropriate. So, after returning to the drawing board on multiple occasions, I have deviated from the universally agreed method, and can now present to you the fruits of my labour, irresistibly crispy, British Style Chips. And the best bit, they cook excellently from frozen, meaning you can prepare a big old batch in readiness for your next bout of unavoidable laziness.
British Style Chips
Equipment
- 1 Colander
- 1 Deep Fat Fryer (or cooking pot and kitchen thermometer)
Ingredients
- 750g (1½lb) White Potatoes
- 2g (1 pinch) Salt
- Sunflower Oil
Instructions
- Heat the deep fat fryer or cooking pot filled roughly half-way with Sunflower Oil to 110℃ (236℉)
- Peel the spuds and chop them into chunky chip shapes, around 1.5cm wide, and the length of the potato
- Then give them a good rinse in a colander, and pat dry with your pre-prepared teatowel
- When the oil has reached 110℃, drop in enough of the chopped potatoes so that they have space to float around, (If the basket is too full, they won't cook properly) and fry for 15 minutes
- When the 15 minutes are up, remove the spuds from the oil and crank the fryer up to 170℃ (338℉). Alternatively, you can leave them to cool on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then freeze them to use later
- Either way, when you're ready to tuck into some British Style Chips, wait for the oil to reach 170℃ (338℉) and fry for 3½ minutes, 4½ minutes if cooking from frozen. Or, until golden brown
- Season with whatever you like, and serve
Nutrition
A Few Odds and Ends Involving British Style Chips
Soaking and Rinsing
Take a look at any recipe online, and they will all proclaim that soaking your spuds represents the single most important part of the process. “It’ll make the chips crispier they say!” with some declaring that for the best results you must “soak overnight.” As it stands, none of them have apparently tested this theory and compared results. Side by side, soaking overnight and a quick rinse give a barely noticeable change in crispiness. If your doing a big batch, or prepping for later, sure, soak them to keep them going brown. Other than that, just run your chopped potatoes under the tap, before patting them dry. The rinse itself, won’t necessarily improve the chips, but it will prolong the life of your oil by removing any surface starch.
Selecting Your Potatoes
As mentioned before in several other recipes, I don’t have the luxury of being able to select my potato variety. Instead, I have to opt for whatever the local spud vendor has on offer on any particular day. Having said that, I have never had any issues when going for the large white potatoes that I can generally get hold of. Those with access to a supermarket can keep a beady eye out for Maris Pipers, or Yukon Gold spuds.
Freezing Your Chips
One of the major bonuses of this recipe allows chip-makers to freeze their produce for a later date. To do this, just let them cool on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then bag them up and pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, the oil will help prevent them from sticking, so give the bag a bit of a shake to separate them.
Cooking British Style Chips at High Altitude
If like me, you often find yourself high up in the mountains, you will soon realise that things cook differently at altitude. Due to this phenomena, those venturing into the world of elevated chip-making should decrease their cooking temperature by around 2℃ per 500 metres, or, for our American friends, 2℉ per 1000 feet.
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