Homemade French Fries with Lemon Zest and Parsley

It must be everyone’s all-time favorite. French fries. I do not know if you are like me, but I grew up on fries, probably due to the Sunday night meals at McDonald’s. The salty, crispy goodness that keeps you coming back for more. There are so many varieties, and so many options when it comes to french fries, that when you have a great batch, you know it, and when you have a bad batch, you know it.

My kids love french fries. They could probably eat them every night if they could. Sure, I buy the frozen four dollar bag of fries for them as they are quick and easy, but I also make them, homemade, and I make sure they know what they are getting. There is no rocket science to making good fries, but there is a process, and there are other options besides dipping these into ketchup. Granted ketchup is the preferred sauce by many, however you should never pass up things like garlic mayonnaise, mustard blends, or what I did, and sprinkled sea salt, a cracked pepper blend, as well as lemon zest and chopped parsley.

Lets get started on the french fries.

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes, cleaned, skin on
• large bowl of ice water
• 3 cups (or more) of Canola oil
• Zest of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• sea salt to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste

Begin by taking your potatoes, and place it on your cutting board, length-wise. Cut it into about 1/2 inch strips length-wise. You should get about 4-5 strips. Lay them flat and cut into about 1/4 inch strips, or the width of how you want your fries. Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes.

Add all of the potato strips to the large bowl of ice water. Soak for roughly 45 minutes. Drain, and pat them dry with a large towel. Heat a large pot with the canola oil to roughly 350 degrees. Add the dry dries, in batches, and cook for only a few minutes per batch, roughly 4-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and let place in a strainer to let any excess oil drain. Repeat the process until the rest is cooked.

Next, jack up the heat a bit with the oil, around 375 degrees. Add the precooked fries back in the oil and cook for another 3-6 minutes until nice and golden brown. Remove with the slotted spoon and let drain for about a minute.

Place in a large bowl and season with the salt, pepper, lemon zest and chopped parsley. Toss, and serve. The seasonings alone do not need any condiment on these, however feel free to work your french fry your style. You know how you like them. It’s hard to change, but the zest and parsley really take it to another level.