French Fry Diary 672: Not All Fries Taste the Same

A friend's husband just this morning on the Facebook purported the opinion that "all French fries, in his expert opinion, taste the same. Greasy. And it's only dips that make them stand out."

 I didn't respond at first, I waited, because I knew others would correct him of his misunderstanding. And they did. I was going to as well, but then I thought, why waste it on the Facebook, I'd just make an entry of it right here. There just might be others in need of an education on the favorite fried food.

First off, anyone who has had McDonald's fries, and Wendy's fries, and duck fat truffle fries, can tell you that they do not all taste the same. There's a reason you pay two bucks for Mickey D's and twelve dollars for duck fat fries. It's not the dipping sauce, it's the taste of the fry. 

Also, there are dozens and dozens of potato varieties, none of which taste the same or cook the same. Most American fries are made from Russets, but try a fry made from a different potato, and you'll get a different taste.

As far as the greasy comment goes, yes, some fries do taste greasy, mostly because they are cooked badly (or just plain wrongfully) in grease. Some folks, some cooks and chefs even, don't know how to make French fries. They shouldn't taste greasy. As anyone who appreciates good food knows, 'greasy' is not a positive word. How about baked or grilled fries? They certainly do not taste greasy. Nor do those cooked in one of those new air deep fryers.

The last part of the quote is absolutely true however. The dipping sauce will make the fry (which as I've explained is already different in its own right) stand out. Whether you're dipping your fries in ketchup, honey, milkshake, curry, barbeque sauce, cheese, mayo, teriyaki, mustard, or an almost infinite number of others, it makes a difference. But not all fries taste the same. Lesson over.

French Fry Diary 620: Wild Ophelia BBQ Potato Chips Chocolate Bar

This was one of the treats I was looking forward to in my Christmas present from friends Dom and Cindy this year. As you might recall, they gave me the gift of some very odd potato chips variations. One I was eager to try was this - Wild Ophelia All Natural Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chips Dark Chocolate Bar.

There are a few companies involved here in this unusual flavor combination - Wild Ophelia, Vosges, and The Billy Goat Chip Company. Supposedly it's all about connecting American farmers with chocolate. To that end we have here 70% cacao dark chocolate and Russet Burbank Potatoes mixed up in this all natural, gluten free, with no preservatives, treat.

It came in a slim fancy hard paper sleeve and was sealed in foil inside. Once opened, there was an overwhelming but good dark chocolate aroma. It's a rich dark chocolate, perhaps too rich, and like most potato chip candy bars, the chips are crushed up into tiny pieces and mixed into the chocolate.

Quite honestly the chip to chocolate ratio is quite low, but when you do bite a crunch you do get that spicy slow burn smokehouse barbecue flavor. That said, I wish there was more chip, and quite possibly a milk chocolate instead. I think this dark stuff might be too rich for my blood.

This was a nice treat, not as good as others of this type I've had, but pretty good. I'd have this again. Thank you, Dom and Cindy!

French Fry Diary 525: Utz Gourmet Medley Potato Chips

This is the first review of my 2013 vacation. The Bride arranged for us to fly first class down to Orlando, and I guess one of the perks is snacks. Not a tiny bag of peanuts, but snack bags of, well, snacks. The flight attendant brought around a tray of snacks for us to pick from. I saw the Utz name on a bag and snagged it.

The full name is Utz Natural Gourmet Medley Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, and these are chips made from three different potatoes - dark and light russets, sweet potatoes, and blue potatoes - to give the chips a festive four-colored variety. Oooh, very fancy, very gourmet.

I held onto them 'til we got off the plane and back to the hotel to try them and write about them properly. Why? We were delayed, having some bad turbulence, and holy cow, you should have seen me trying to type the above on my Nook… autocorrect, most of the time I hate you, but you saved most of the above when I was barely hitting any of the right keys.

The chips are pretty good, as Utz' kettle chips always are. The novelty here is in the color, as the taste isn't all that different except for the sweet potatoes. It is worth noting that the mixing of sweet and other potatoes give all of them a bit of a sweet scent and taste. A different treat, I liked these, good stuff.

French Fry Diary 476: Nature's Way Microwavable Russet

There are more than a few of these do it yourself baked potatoes out there recently. Probably the one that most folks think of is the Bakeables from Simply Spuds. This is the same concept but by Nature's Way, a company that inexplicably seems to have no internet presence.

This plastic wrapped potato just goes right in the microwave as is. Don't even take off the wrapper. It does whistle a bit as it cooks, but don't be alarmed, the sparse directions indicate that's normal. It will be hot when you take it out, so watch out. It makes getting the hot potato out of the plastic quite the trick without burning yourself.

However, once you do get the wrapper off, get the potato on a plate, and start with the fork mashing, it's terrific. Good deal, Nature's Way.

French Fry Diary 475: McCain Purely Potatoes

I did not have a good first experience with these here. I had assumed that McCain Purely Potatoes would be similar to Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices, but nope, not quite. Well, you know what happens when you assume... you make an ass out of 'u' and 'me.'

McCain makes French fries, so they should know what they're doing when it comes to potatoes, right? Yeah, there's that assume thing again. They do pretty good. That said, I will choose Ore-Ida over McCain almost every time. Perhaps I should wait for Ore-Ida to come out with a product like this.

Purely Potatoes is simply that, peeled and sliced premium russet potatoes like it says on the bag. The bag, besides being usable as a microwave package to cook, also says no prep is required, and the potatoes can be used for au gratin, mashed, or pan-fried, or even deep-fried. All true, but with provisos.

First things first, do not freeze them, at least not if you want to eat them. I made this mistake. Sooo not a good idea. Freezer burn is the luckiest you will get, inedible is the most likely result. If you buy Purely Potatoes, use them that day. And microwave steam the potatoes in the bag first, no matter what you're going to use them for. If you mash them, prep them for baking, or simply move them to the pan or the deep fryer next, they will be hot and ready.

I was really disappointed the first time I tried these. Awful, inedible, oooh, I was sick. Do. Not. Freeze. Them. Maybe I'll give them another shot, but not today.

French Fry Diary 459: Steamables

While looking for the regular Simply Potatoes I usually get for Christmas breakfast I saw these. Also from Crystal Farms Simply Potatoes, here comes Steamables - this particular variety is Rustic Italian Seasoned Russet Wedges. The best part? They steam right in the bag in your microwave.

I was all over this. A quick and easy side is always welcome. But steamed in the microwave, obviously crispy is out of the question, so these would be like baked potatoes. I could live with that. I popped them in the nuke.

While in the nuke I was a bit worried as the bag was plumped up like a balloon about to burst, more extreme than I had ever seen in a cook-in-a-bag food before. Like I said I was a bit concerned, however the aroma coming from the nuke was wonderful. Lotsa garlic.

The inside of the microwave was wet when they were done, and the bag was wrinkled and wet. When coming out of the bag, they clumped into the plate in an unappetizing lump. This didn't look good and it didn't bode well.

I added some salt and some butter to taste. The seasonings are a good Italian mix, the garlic however was overpowering. Over and above that, these are good as baked potatoes. Soft and hot perfection as a baked potato should be, with a pleasant aftertaste.

These Steamables don't look great, but they taste good, and with a bit of work on presentation, can make a great side for your meal. I think I would definitely try these again.

Baked Seasoned Steak Fries

This recipe comes from Six Sisters' Stuff via the Just-Potatoes Yahoo! Group. Enjoy.

Baked Seasoned Steak Fries

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 4 large, russet potatoes peeled and cut into thin *wedges, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder. Add potato wedges to olive oil mixture and toss until evenly coated. Cover a baking sheet in foil and spread coated potato wedges onto it. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

* Note from Richard Lee Holbert of Just-Potatoes: I detest thin fries so I cut mine thicker.

Diablo Potato Chips

Ingredients: 2 large russet potatoes, 6 cups vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Cajun-style seasoned salt, divided

Thinly slice potatoes; place in a large bowl of ice water. *

When ready to cook: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 360 degrees F, or until a bread cube browns in 1 minute.

Drain potatoes on paper towels. Sprinkle with some seasoned salt. Lower potatoes into deep fryer with a slotted spoon. Fry in batches until chips are golden, about 3 minutes.

Remove chips from deep fryer with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with remaining seasoned salt. Place chips in a serving bowl.

* The potatoes can be sliced and kept in water in an airtight container for up to 2 hours before frying.

Servings: 4

Recipe courtesy of the Just-Potatoes Yahoo! Group.

French Fry Diary 431: The Sandwich King's Hand Cut Fries

It's Food Network Friday, so here's another entry and recipe from the Sandwich King Jeff Mauro. In the episode entitled "Hot Diggity Dog," Jeff visits Gene's & Jude's in his hometown of Chicago, where they specialize in a very special kind of hot dog - one smothered in fresh cut French fries.

If I was local to Chicago I would have checked Gene's & Jude's out, but since I'm not, I'll have to depend on Jeff via the magic of television. As per usual on "Sandwich King," after learning how to do it at the restaurant of choice, Jeff heads home to create his own version of the sandwich. Including the fries. Mmmm… fries…

Here's Jeff's recipe for Hand Cut Fries with Celery Salt:

Prep Time: 15 min, Cook Time: 15 min, Level: Easy, Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients: Vegetable oil, 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, peel-on, Celery salt, for sprinkling

Directions: Fill a 6-quart heavy pot or Dutch oven two-thirds of the way full with oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks. Fry the potatoes in batches, until golden brown, 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with celery salt and serve immediately.

Check out the full recipe here. "Sandwich King" airs new episodes on Sunday mornings.

French Fry Diary 429: Nadia G.'s Duck Fat Fries

You folks know how how much I love Nadia G. and her "Bitchin' Kitchen." I watch religiously, or so I thought. Recently my buddy Ray told me about an episode I had apparently missed. It's called "Getting the Romance Back," and featured recipes for rib-eye steak, oysters with creamy spinach alfredo, strawberry shortcake, among others, and, yeah baby, duck fat fries. Yeah, I know, how could I have missed this one? So after a long search through the Xfinity schedule grids for weeks, I finally found it.

The episode presents a dinner designed to get couples who have been together a looong time some romance into their lives. And you know Nadia, she does it with style. And here's the recipe for both the ribeye and the fries from Nadia's website:

Ingredients:

Fries: 2 cups warm water, 1/2 cup raw sugar, 2 russets, cut into 1/4 inch fries, 3 cups duck fat, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, Freshly cracked pepper, Sea salt

Beurre blanc: 1/4 cup good dry white wine, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 2 shallots, minced 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, roughly chopped, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, Freshly cracked pepper

Steak: 2 1 inch thick rib-eye steaks, at room temperature, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, Freshly cracked pepper, 2 tablespoons butter

Recipe tools: Medium saucepan, Large pan, Salad spinner

Directions Making the fries: To warm water, add raw sugar and whisk.  Soak fries in sugar water for 1hour or overnight. Strain and dry off in salad spinner. In a pot heat duck fat to 325˚F. Blanch 1 cup of fries at a time for 5 minutes, until cooked but not crispy. Remove and raise temperature of oil to 375˚F. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy. Season with cayenne, pepper, and salt.

Making the beurre blanc: Heat saucepan on medium high. Add white wine, vinegar, and shallots. Let boil and reduce down to 2 tablespoons of liquid. Take off heat and let cool for about 1 minute. Put saucepan back on burner without turning on the heat. Throw in a few butter cubes at a time; whisk until butter is melted. Continue until all butter is melted. Add tarragon, salt, and pepper. Mix. Cover, turn heat to very low and let sit.

Making the steak: Heat canola oil in a pan on medium high. Season steak with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 ½ minutes per side, for medium-rare. For last minute of cooking, add butter and melt. Remove steak from heat, tent and let rest for 5 minutes.

Place steak and fries on a plate and top steak with sauce.

See the whole recipe here.

French Fry Diary 400: McDonald's

One of the biggest questions (after where are the best fries) I get is why, after almost four hundred entries and reviews at French Fry Diary, why have I never covered McDonald's? It's simple. It's a big entry. McDonald's is the big one. McDonald's French fries are the gold standard when it comes to fast food French fries - simple, consistent, and delicious, they are literally the world's number one fry.

This is from the text on their Small Fry: "What's the secret? It's the potatoes. Only the best potatoes make it into our World Famous Fries." And they are world famous. Everyone knows McDonald's French Fries. In fact, The official Fry Box Design (trademark), that special red fries holder, is what most people think of when they think of not only fast food fries, but fries in general. It's like the Coke bottle. It is that distinctive.

From the early days of McDonald's, founder Ray Croc was insistent on how the French fries were prepared, knowing how important a compliment they were to the meal. The shoestrings in the beginning were fresh cut from Russet Burbank potatoes on the premises, and Croc always strove for consistency. Every time you had a McD's fry it should taste just the same, and just as good as the last time, and the next time. He was looking for consistent quality.

When the chain expanded, costs had to be cut, measures were taken to insure that consistency, so in 1966, McDonald's turned to frozen French fries. The product was now peeled, sliced, par-fried and frozen in factories then shipped to restaurant locations to be finished in deep fryers and served hot to customers. Even today, McDonald's is the biggest consumer of potatoes in the world.

For decades the fries were cooked in a roughly 90/10 mix of beef tallow and cottonseed oil. After flack from vegetarian lobbies and nutritionists, the formula was changed to 100% vegetable oil in the early 1990s. This new style made the fries devoid of cholesterol and transfats, and also made them more palatable to folks who could not or would not eat meat. At that time McDonald's may have added things like a sugar additive or possibly a chemical that makes them smell delicious, but that's one for the conspiracy theorists.

In the early 2000s there was some dispute regarding whether the ingredient called 'natural flavor' may or may not have a beef extract in it. That battle still continues. On another front, McDonald's fries in the rest of the world except for America are gluten free, because they have dedicated deep fryers. Unfortunately the same can not be said here in the States, as sometimes, a Fry fryer will be used for something else in an emergency.

Now I've talked about consistency, and that's important. Wherever you go to a McDonald's, you are guaranteed to get the same great taste, texture, and appearance. Every once in a while you'll get undercooked and limp, or overcooked and crunchy, but those are the exceptions, not the rules.

MacFries are always crispy, hot and golden brown. They come in a variety of serving sizes - small, medium, large, and the miniature kids size that now comes with Happy Meals. They reheat well in the oven, but not so well in the microwave. They are excellent on roadtrips with a quick jump through the drive-thru. They are amazing for shake dipping, and being shoestrings great for sandwiching.

The McDonald's French Fry is truly the gold standard for fast food French fries.

French Fry Diary 383: Paul's Idaho Potatoes

Sometimes you want and you want, and you get what you want, and sometimes you just get disappointed. Such is the case with Paul's Idaho Potatoes. The Flutter Fries I had waited so long for were just not good. And it wasn't because Ken and I had already had a terrific lunch at European Republic either, it was just an all around bad experience at Paul's.

To be fair, Paul Idaho Potatoes, or Paul's Idaho Fries, has a long history down the shore, specifically in Wildwood. They've been doing their fresh cut, natural cut boardwalk fries cooked in peanut oil down there for well over three decades. I've had them, once upon a time, before I started doing French Fry Diary, and they were pretty good.

I have to say however, their South Street Philadelphia location was a bit of a disappointment on all points. First, they didn't take credit cards, which really wasn't a problem, but we had to hunt down an ATM before we could partake. The man behind the counter at Paul's was not the most friendly or helpful sort it should be noted. We were left to find an ATM on our own in a neighborhood I would guess he knew better that we did. Have I mentioned South Street isn't as pleasant as it once was? Yeah, that's the kind of place where we found an ATM. On a side note, Paul's is actually pretty pricey for what they serve - they should accept credit cards. Five for Flutter Fries and four for lemonade just for example.

On the plus side, once we had cold hard cash in our hands, it was fun to watch Mr. Congeniality make the Flutter Fries. A whole (Russet, I think) potato is fed into something like an apple-coring device, and from there the potato is cut into one continuous flat spiral slice. From there, it's dumped into hot oil, I'm assuming peanut oil, for a few moments. Then Mr. Friendly puts them on a paper plate and with a shove pushes them over the counter to us.

There's a lot here on the plate as you can see from the images. They were not good. They were as appetizing as they looked, and for the record, looked nothing like the pictures up on the walls. The Flutter Fries were crispy like potato chips, but also very greasy having just come out of the oil. If they were shaken out, it wasn't done well. As chips, had they not been so oily, they might have been good to take home and use as dipping chips. The Flutter Fries, more chips than fries, really, also needed a lot of seasoning. The salt worked okay, but the ketchup available there was kinda iffy. Bottom line, we didn't finish them, and left most of them on the tiny counter at Paul's.

After waiting so long to try these, the afternoon (not counting lunch at European Republic and chilling with my buddy Ken) was just one big disappointment. I don't think I'll be coming back to Paul's, even for the regular fries. That's how bad this experience was. Shame.

French Fry Diary 368: McDonald's Hash Browns

Back in the early 1970s, McDonald's revolutionized, and quite possibly created the fast food breakfast. With the introduction of the Egg McMuffin, they had one food item that contained an entire breakfast, almost. The only thing missing - a breakfast potato product. Enter the McDonald's Hash Brown.

McDonald's Hash Browns are a pinnacle of culinary engineering. Crunchy crisp oval, deep fried with super-diced Russet potatoes inside. Unlike hash browns that came before these held together into one unit as opposed to being loose pieces. This was a miracle at the time in several regions of this country.

Now, as with anything at fast food restaurants, the quality and taste depends on who's at the fry station and how well they can follow directions. Often in recent times, I have noticed that Mickey D's Hash Browns have become greasier than they were back on church Sundays when we used to go after services when I was a kid. The diced Russets have become smaller and more compact I have also noticed.

Just like McDonald's famous fries, many have attempted to recreate this breakfast item, but few even come close.

Guy Fieri's Boxty Cakes

For the Food Network Friday before St. Patrick's Day I have something special for you - Guy Fieri's recipe for Irish Boxty.

For the uninitiated, boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The name comes from the old Irish and means poor house bread. Here's Guy Fieri's recipe for it, from the "A Fiery Irish Supper" episode of "Guy's Big Bite"...

Total time 40 min
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Yield: 4 cakes
Level: Easy

Ingredients
• 1 cup peeled, grated raw russet potato
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (3/4-pound) russet potato, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups fresh cauliflower florets

• 3 cups chicken stock, or more as needed
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
•
Directions
Cover the raw potato with the milk. Add in 1/4 cup chicken stock. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, add the quartered potatoes, cauliflower and enough chicken stock to cover. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, cook until fork tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Strain the potatoes and cauliflower. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes and cauliflower with the cream cheese.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking powder and mix well. Add the mashed cauliflower and potatoes and fold to combine. Add the egg into the raw potato mix, and then fold into the cauliflower and mashed potatoes. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more chicken stock.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons canola oil. When hot, add 1 cup of the mixture and gently spread out in the pan uniformly until you have a large circle (8 to 9-inches in diameter). Cook until the edges begin to brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip over with a thin, flexible spatula and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

Fill half with some Double Jack Stew and fold over. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

Traditional Fish and Chips

Recipe courtesy Grant MacNaughton, Mac's Fish and Chip Shop

Show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode: Global Traditions

Prep Time:30 min
Inactive Prep Time:8 hr 0 min
Cook Time:40 min
Level:Easy
Serves:6 servings.

Authentic British fish and chips consist of a high-quality flaky white fish deep-fried in a thin, crispy batter served on a bed of large, twice-cooked chips (think fat fries). The key to avoiding an overly greasy product is to use a fry pot large enough that the addition of the fish doesn't reduce the oil temperature too much. Realistically, in a home environment, this will mean cooking each fish individually, but the results will be well worth the staggered serving required. Remember, never leave oil unattended and never fill any cooking vessel more than halfway with oil. Use any oil with a high smoke point and relatively neutral flavor such as canola, vegetable or soybean.

Ingredients

Twice-Cooked Chips:
12 large russet potatoes
Enough canola oil to half fill your largest cooking pot or deep-fat fryer

Dry Dredge:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Beer Batter:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons kosher salt
One 12-ounce bottle lager beer (the lighter and fizzier, the better)

Fish:
3 pounds skinless, boneless large-flake white fish (we use wild Alaskan cod because of its quality and sustainability)
Enough canola oil to half fill your largest cooking pot or deep-fat fryer
Kosher salt
Good-quality malt vinegar, for serving

Directions

For the chips: Peel the potatoes and cut them into approximately 5/8-inch-thick chips (i.e. 5/8-by-5/8-inch-by-potato length). Store them in water.

Heat the oil to 275 degrees F. Thoroughly drain the chips and add them to the oil. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Fry the chips until they are soft to squeeze but not yet browned, about 10 minutes.

Once all the chips have been blanched, spread them on a sheet tray and store them in the fridge overnight.

For service, heat the oil to 375 degrees F and fry the blanched chips, in batches if necessary, until golden brown and crispy on the outside whilst still fluffy on the inside, about 5 minutes.

For the dry dredge: Mix the flour, salt and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

For the beer batter: Thoroughly mix the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl. Whilst constantly whisking, add enough beer to stiffen up the mix. Whilst still continuing to whisk, add cold water until the batter resembles heavy cream consistency and contains no lumps.

For the fish: Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Fillet the fish into six 8-ounce portions, removing any bones, skin or blood lines that are present.

Dip the fish into the seasoned flour, tapping off any excess. Dip the fish into the batter, briefly allow the batter to drain off, and then gently place the fish into the oil, allowing the fish to float away from you. Cook in batches if necessary. The fish is ready once golden brown and trying to float, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oil with a spatula and allow to drain on a cooling rack before serving on a bed of chips with lashings of kosher salt and malt vinegar.

This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Nadia G.'s Parmesan Potato Croquettes

I love Nadia G. and her "Bitchin' Kitchen" over on the The Cooking Channel. It is easily the most entertaining, as well as informative, show on the network. On the episode "Impress the In-Laws" she makes the irresistible Potato Croquettes. They are matched up with Roasted Tomatoes and Filet Mignon. Here are the recipes:

Ingredients
• Roasted Tomatoes
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Pinch Greek oregano
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch brown sugar

• Parmesan Potato Croquettes
• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 green onions, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Olive oil, for pan frying

• Filet Mignon
• 4 steaks, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons steak spice (recommended: McCormick Montreal)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Balsamic Syrup
• 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar*
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• *Cook's Note: Minimum 7 years old

Directions
To make the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the cherry tomatoes and garlic in a large baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle them with Greek oregano, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and brown sugar. Mix well. Roast for 40 minutes.

To make the Parmesan potato croquettes: Boil the potatoes in enough salt water to cover for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain. Saute the green onions and garlic in extra-virgin olive oil for a few minutes, until the onions are translucent and garlic is golden. In a big bowl, combine the onion and garlic mixture with the boiled potatoes. Add Parmesan cheese, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and mash together. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pour enough olive oil to come 1/4-inch up the side of a heavy fry pan and heat to 375 degrees F. Roll the chilled potato mixture into finger shapes. Dip the fingers in the beaten egg, then coat them in Italian-seasoned bread crumbs. Fry the croquettes in the hot oil for 30 seconds, until all sides are equally crispy and golden.

To make the filet mignon: Season the steaks with a pinch of steak spice. Heat the canola oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the steaks to the hot pan. Sear the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the steaks for another 2 minutes per side. Tent the cooked steaks in aluminum foil and let them rest for 10 minutes.

To make the balsamic syrup: Heat a pan on medium-high heat, add equal parts maple syrup and balsamic vinegar, and stir for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced. Serve immediately, drizzled over the filet mignon.

How's that for a rockin' dinner to impress the in-laws. Or anybody? Go, Nadia G.!

Another Potato Latkes Recipe

These thin onion and potato pancakes make a tasty accompaniment to any meal. The key to their crispiness is draining all the liquid from the grated potatoes and onion before frying.

12 Servings
Prep: 20 min.
Cook: 20 min.

Ingredients:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Oil for deep-fat frying
Applesauce

Directions:

Coarsely grate potatoes and onion; drain any liquid. Place in a bowl; add green onions, egg, salt and pepper. In an electric skillet, heat 1/8 in. of oil to 375°. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Flatten to form patties. Fry until golden brown; turn and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce. Yield: 2 dozen.

Originally published as Latkes in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2001, p. 243

French Fry Diary 310: Boardwalk Grill & Pizzeria, Cherry Hill NJ

Boardwalk Grill & Pizzeria is a place that opened earlier this summer locally in Cherry Hill. A recent lazy Sunday evening led The Bride and I to look for a nearby place that delivered, we chose Boardwalk, mostly because their menu made a pretty big deal of the favorite fried food.

First off, any place that calls itself 'Boardwalk' and has French fries, had better have good ones. It's just the facts, ya know? The menu calls them "Fryz" just to be different, I guess. They claim that "all Boardwalk Fryz are Hand Cut from Russett Potatoes Daily," madcap capitalization theirs. They offer malt vinegar for dipping, but for a charge. They come in regular, Old Bay, Cheese, Pizza, and Loaded.

Deciding on a pizza roll and some BBQ honey boneless chicken wings, along with fries, sorry, Fryz, both Boardwalk and Loaded, we called in our order. Surprisingly for a new place the delivery was rather quick. Score one for customer service. The chicken was pretty good, and the BBQ honey sauce more barbeque than honey, but excellent on the fries and for dipping.

The Loaded Fryz came in quite a generous portion, and was too much for my wife. Besides being very filling, these natural cuts were under an avalanche of Cheez Wiz, mozzarella, bacon and scallions. This came in a big tin foil pie plate, I mention this because it was a huge portion. These guys give you a lotta fries for your buck.

The large order of the regular Boardwalk Fryz were the same natural cut Boardwalk style fries you can find at Pat's or the more traditional Boardwalk Fries and Seaside Spuds. Again, bonuses for portion size, because the large fry-decorated cup they came in had about the same amount as The Bride's serving.

Sadly, I don't think they were cooked to order. While the hot ones were very good, I had a lot of stubs and ends - no big long fries at all, and some were very crunchy as if they'd been cooked more than once and not in a good way. Maybe it was the end of a batch. They did however reheat well when baked in the oven.

I would be more than willing to give them a second chance, as these could be really good fries, maybe just not this time. I would love to try them at the actual restaurant next time rather than their excellent delivery service.

Guy Fieri's Double-Fried French Fries

For today's Food Network Fridays we have another recipe of the favorite fried food from Guy Fieri:

Double-Fried French Fries

Show: Guy's Big Bite
Episode: Fuel the Fieri

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 servings.

Ingredients
4 (4 to 5-inches long) russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 quarts canola oil
1 tablespoons fine-grain sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Peel potatoes on the sides, leaving the ends with the skin on. Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then slice into 1/3-inch sticks.

Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.

Heat a heavy stock pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer with oil to 325 degrees F.

Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove excess water. Add 2 handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. There should be at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Par cook until potatoes are light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.

Raise heat of oil to 350 degrees F.

Cook potatoes again, 2 handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly in a bowl with salt and pepper. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.