Crispy French Fries

I have never made proper french fries. The closest I have come are the oven baked sweet potato fries which I love and make frequently. This year at our company white elephant gift exchange I received a lovely cutting board with a picture of a dog on it (it looks like a pug), a five pound bag of russet potatoes and a french fry cutting tool. To both my surprise and relief, not one person tried to "steal" my gift!

The french fry cutter turned out to be an amazing tool. It cut the potatoes into perfect pieces; not too thin, not too thick. A couple of recipes were included and they all suggested frying the potatoes twice for extra crispiness.

water
cider vinegar
about 1  russet potato per serving
peanut oil
salt

Combine about 1 tbsp of vinegar per quart of cold water and set aside.

Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into the desired thickness for french fries (see photo). Drop the potatoes into the vinegar water and leave for a minute or two. Give them a good stir then drain the potatoes.

Fill up a heavy pot with oil leaving at least 3 inches free on the sides (in case the hot oil bubbles up). Heat the oil to 350°F.

Using a towel dry the potatoes, then carefully drop them into the hot oil. Fry them for a minute or two, just until they begin to lightly brown. Remove them from the oil and place them onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. At this point you can leave them until you are ready to serve them or wait about 5 minutes, then fry them again.

Fry them a second time at 350°F. until they are nicely browned. Remove them and place onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and serve immediately.