How to make chunky chips
Chunky chips
Right then, who loves a chunky chip? I can never go anywhere that has chunky chips on the menu (especially homemade ones) without ordering atleast 1 portion for myself. Personally I prefer a thick chip, because you get twice the amount of fluffy potato middle than a skinny fry and that can only be a good thing.
Here’s what you need to make these glorious crispy chips:
- 4-6 large red skin potatoes
- Plenty of salt
- Oil of your choice to deep fry
That’s really it!
Now I always use a deep fat fryer for my chips. If you don’t have one then a deep pan half filled with oil will work but make sure you use a thermometer to regulate the temperature of the oil. You can shallow fry in a high sided frying pan but you need to keep turning them so they can brown evenly.
For frying try to use a neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable, canola or peanut. If you really want to get indulgent, try beef dripping like they used to use in chip shops!
Cut your spuds
Pick out the largest and longest potatoes you can find. In the UK the best variety for chips is usually a rooster or red skin potato as they’re waxier and hold their shape when cooked. If you’re in the US, something like a Yukon Gold or russet will work well!
I like to peel my potatoes for chips but you definitely can do skin on chips, just give them a good scrub before you cut them. Cut a thin piece of potato off the bottom of the spud so it can sit flat on the board, then you can cut them safely. Slice your potato into thick long chip shapes, around the same width as your thumb. You can fully square them off if you’re trying to be really fancy, but if you’re just making them at home let them be a bit rugged!
Boil ’em up
Scoop up all of your chips and pop them into a large, shallow pan of cold water. Heavily season your water with table salt and try to get all of your chips in one even layer.
Put your potatoes onto the hob and bring to a boil. Cook for 5-7 minutes until just knife tender but not falling apart. When they’re cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a wire cooling rack and leave to steam dry for a few minutes, then pop into the fridge. Steam drying is important so they can go crispy! If you tip them into a colander they’re more likely to break apart and they’re delicate!
Blanching time
When your chips have had around an hour in the fridge so they’ve dried out, get your deep fryer or pan of oil to 150ºc/300ºf. You need to be gentle with your chips at this stage so carefully lower them into the oil and cook for a few minutes in batches so the oil doesn’t cool down too much.
At this point the chips won’t get any colour on them, it just creates a pale crust around the outside and seals in the fluffy middle. When your chips are sealed, return them to the wire cooling rack.
If you’re making these in advance for a dinner party, pop them in the freezer for a few hours and then do the final fry when you’re ready for them.
Fry them off
Turn up the heat on your oil to 180ºc/350ºf. Fry off your chips in batches again until golden brown and super crispy. They’re a lot more robust now so you don’t have to be quite so gentle!
Some potatoes brown faster than others if they’ve got a higher natural sugar content so keep an eye on them.
Line a large bowl (ideally metal for the super crispy sounds) with kitchen paper and tip your crispy chips into the bowl to drain off the excess oil.
Enjoy your chunky chips!
Pull out the kitchen paper from under your chips and sprinkle over loads of table salt. You all know I love flaky salt, but for hot, freshly fried chips fine table salt is best because it sticks to the chips and dissolves all over them.
Toss your chips to get them all evenly coated and pour into a serving dish. I love a bit of Tommy k with chips but I also love a bit of mayo or BBQ sauce. Get stuck in gal!