There is almost nothing better than fresh cut fries… unless you add a roasted garlic aioli!

Fresh cut fries are one of my favourites! The aromas that you get from a fry stand like vinegar and crispy potatoes in a fryer are enough to make you salivate and crave french fries.

I have been trying to perfect a good french fry recipe for a while. I have done lots of research, and have found a couple of key elements that will bring the chip wagon quality to your kitchen! First is the potato. I like to use a russet potato with the skin on. These potatoes are high in starch and have the perfect amount of density and moisture for the perfect fench fry. You can buy a french fry cutter but if you don’t have one, it’s not too difficult to get thin matchstick slices using a good kitchen knife.

One of the first things I do after I slice my fries is soak them in water. This helps remove the starch from the potato. I soak my potatoes for one to two hours and change the water every half an hour to an hour. Once your fries are done soaking, it’s important to let them dry. The worst thing you can do is add water to you hot oil. I dry my french fries on a baking sheet with paper towel for an hour or so to make sure I get all the moisture off of them. One of the most important steps to crispy french fries is to blanch them. This process pre cooks the potatoes so all you have to do later is flash fry them to crisp them up. I use vegetable oil or canola oil in my deep fryer, because they have a higher smoke point then some other oil. I heat my deep fryer to 300 degrees and then cook the potatoes for about five to six minutes. Another important trick I have learned is to let the french fries cool down before you fry them again. I have had times where my french fries just didn’t seem to crisp up as I hoped and I was told that letting them cool is a key step. I let the fries cool either on the counter or in a fridge.

Now that the fries are cool and you are ready to eat delicious fresh cut fries, turn the heat up on your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Place your french fries in the oil and let them cook for about five minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown. Voila! You now have the prefect fry truck french fries in the comfort of your home!

If you havn’t noticed I am a sauce fanatic, for me the sauce is the part that makes any dish go from good to great! For french fries I like to try different sauces, from classic ketchup and vinegar to various aioli’s. One of my favourites is a roasted garlic aioli. Roasted garlic is such a delicious ingredient, it can add so much flavour to any sauce and it’s really not that difficult to roast a head of garlic.

If you are like me just thinking about these fresh cut fries has made you want to make a batch. If you are going to go and make some make sure to reward your french fries with a lemony and garlicy aioli!