ISLANDS ISLAND FRIES

Not only can I show you the best way to make french fries at home in this clone of Islands’ top-selling version, but I’m also supplying you with a super simple way to make the same type of salt blend that Islands uses to make those fries so dang addicting. As with any good french fry recipe, you’ll need to slice your potatoes into strips that are all equal thickness. That means you need a mandoline, or similar slicing device, that makes ¼-inch slices. Once you’ve got your potatoes cut, you must rinse and soak them in water to expel the excess starch. The frying comes in two stages:A quick blanching stage, and the final frying to put a crispy coating on the suckers. Islands uses a combination of peanut and vegetable oils in their fryers, so you simply combine the two in your home fryer. The whole process is not that tough once you get going, and certainly worth the effort if hungry mouths are waiting for the perfect homemade french fries. However, if you want to simplify the process because your hungry mouths aren’t of the patient sort, you could certainly buy frozen french fries, cook ’em up following the instructions on the bag, and then sprinkle on this garlic/onion salt blend for a quick-and-easy kitchen clone.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

GARLICIONION SALT

• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

FRIES

• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 3 to 5 cups vegetable oil (fryer filled halfway)
• 3 to 5 cups peanut oil (fryer filled rest of the way)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper.
2. Slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick slices using a slicer or mandoline. Hold the potato at a slight angle to produce fries that are about 2 to 3 inches in length.
3. Drop the sliced potatoes into a bowl of water to rinse away starch. Pour out the water and refill the bowl. Repeat this process one more time, adding ice to the water. Let the potatoes sit in the ice water for 1 hour.
4. Heat the oils in a fryer to 350 degrees.
5. After the potatoes have soaked, drain them and transfer them to a clean dish towel. Blot the fries dry.
6. Drop about half of the fries into the hot oil and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes. The fries should be soft in the center. Remove the blanched fries onto a towel to cool. Once all the fries are blanched, let them cool for about 30 minutes. When the fries are cool, fry them for a second time for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy.
7. Pour the fries onto a rack or towels to drain. Toss the fries with several pinches of the garlic/onion salt. Serve the fries hot.