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Belgian-Style French Fried Potatoes
(Patates Frites)
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| What You Need: |
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5 pounds beef kidney suet, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 cup cold water
9 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 3 pounds)
Salt
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Combine the suet and water in a heavy 4- to 5-quart casserole and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible point, cover tightly, and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the solid bits of suet are crisp and a delicate golden color and have rendered all their fat.
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2. Let the fat cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then strain it into a deep bowl or pan through a fine sieve lined with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. With a wooden spoon, gently press the solid bits to remove all their fat before discarding them. There should be at least 2 quarts of fat.
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3. Peel the potatoes and drop them into a bowl of cold water to prevent their discoloring. With a large, sharp knife, cut the potatoes lengthwise into slices about 3/8 inch thick, then cut the slices into strips about 3/8 inch wide and 2½ to 3 inches long. As you cut each strip, return it to the cold water.
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4. Pour the fat into a deep fryer or large heavy saucepan to a depth of at least 4 to 6 inches and heat it to 325°F on a deep-frying thermometer.
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5. A handful at a time, pat the potato strips completely dry with paper towels and plunge them into the hot fat. Turning the strips about with a slotted spoon, fry the potatoes for 8 minutes.
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6. Then transfer them to paper towels to drain. Deep-fry and drain the remaining potatoes similarly. The partially fried potatoes can wait unrefrigerated for several hours, or you may complete their frying at once.
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7. Just before serving, heat the fat once more, but this time let it reach a temperature of 360. A handful at a time, deep-fry the potatoes for about 2 minutes, turning them about with a slotted spoon, until they are crisp and brown. Drain the patates frites on paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with salt.
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NOTE:
Although it is less traditional, the potatoes may be successfully deep-fried in vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 325°F for the preliminary frying, and allow each batch to cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Heat the oil to 375°F for the final frying, and allow about 2 minutes for the potatoes to crisp and turn brown.
Admittedly, rendering kidney fat for French fried potatoes takes more time than frying the potatoes in vegetable oil. But the extra effort is rewarding because the beef fat gives the potatoes a characteristic Belgian flavor impossible to achieve in any other way. Moreover, the fat is quite inexpensive, and when strained and refrigerated can be reused several times to deep-fry not only potatoes but other foods as well.
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