Garlic Truffle Fries

After a title like that, does this dish need any other introduction at all?!? Just trust me. These will be the best fries you’ll ever have. Look how light and crisp these are! Garlic, parsley and hints of truffles adorn these fries.

No shaved truffles…I’m not that rich! But I did a double-whammy and finished the fries with Truffle Olive Oil and Truffle Salt. The Truffle Olive Oil is a brand from Trader Joe’s….less than $10 for a bottle that should last you for many months and many different dishes. The Truffle Salt that I bought isn’t the greatest….I’m sure there are better brands out there, but it certainly worked well at its price of $7 a jar. It even comes with a built-in grinder.

The secret to these fries are:

1) Use a mandoline. While my favorite mandoline is this one , its only flaw is that it doesn’t do super-thin julienne. Which is why I also have the Oxo Mandoline which makes perfect shoe-string fries.

2) Rinse Rinse Rinse. After slicing, soak the fries in cold water for 1 hour. This helps get rid of a lot of the starch. If you don’t have 1 hour, just fill big bowl with cold water, add fries, swish good with your hand, dump water and repeat at least 5 times until water runs clear. If you don’t do this step, your fries will be soggy and mushy.

3) Fry twice. I know. Frying is bad. BUT if you’re going to try sometime as divine as Garlic Truffle Fries, don’t try to de-fat, un-fry or dis-oil this dish. If you’re on a diet, just quietly close this window and gnaw on tree bark instead. Fry the first time at 325F for 1 1/2 minutes to cook the potato. Drain and let cool. The second frying is at 375F for another 1 1/2 minutes to crisp the potato.

4) Drain. Grab a baking sheet place a wire cooking rack on top. After frying each batch, place the fries on the rack to drain and cool. The rack allows the oil to drip through (and not just collect on a paper towel and soak right back into the potatoes) and lets the fries cool evenly. If you stack steaming hot fries on hot fries, you’ll end up with soggy fries.

5) Use the right potato. In my opinion, Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are the best for frying. They have the right starch content and make fries with a light, fluffy interiors.

Garlic Truffle Fries

The amount of garlic that you use is directly proportionate to how much after-dinner lovin’ you plan on participating in. If you aren’t a big garlic-lover, just skip it. Don’t try to use garlic powder on these fries. Thats like installing a $5,500 Bose home theater system and only using it to watch cartoons (ahem). If you don’t have a mandoline, just do your best to cut the fries evenly, but feel free to make them bigger than shoestring. You’ll need to cook the fries longer during both fryings if you are doing thicker fries

Russet potatoes (about 1 medium potato per person)
Garlic – smushed through garlic press or finely minced
Parlsey – chopped finely
Truffle Oil
Truffle Salt
Oil to fry
Equipment: Mandoline & oil thermometer

Optional: top with grated parmigiana or pecorino romano

1. Cut potatoes. Soak in cold water for 1 hour or rinse several times until water drains clear. Drain. Pat very very dry or use salad spinner. Combine garlic and parsley. Use a paper towel to pat the garlic/parsley mixture to soak up any moisture.

2. Heat oil to 325F. Fry the fries in batches, for 1-1/2 minutes until cooked but not browned. Remove and drain. They will be a soggy mess. Don’t worry. Let cool.

3. Heat oil to 375F. Fry them for a second time, in small batches for 1-1/2 minutes. You’ll see that the fries will crispy up nicely. Remove and drain.

4. Sprinkle with Truffle Salt while the fries are hot. Just before serving, toss with the garlic/parsley mixture and just a lightest drizzle of Truffle Oil.