(Just a note: I haven't disappeared or forgotten. A temporary job that pays really well has taken up a lot more time than was expected. It should be done by next week.)
I had the opportunity to get 25 lbs of russet potatoes for a really good price. So I did. My logic was that I could make some things that I had been buying, for a lot cheaper. Because the prices on the store bought were jumping higher every trip and I was using a lot of them. A giant part of that is the convenience of having the things ready to cook on days when I am wiped out.
I've been working on a variety of things. Thank heavens potatoes can hold for a while since I'm two weeks into this adventure. The first thing though has been steak fries. These are a great side for hamburgers and chicken nuggets. And being honest, typically when I'm making those for dinner it's because I'm tired. But there have also been times when I discovered that I didn't have any potatoes on hand to make them.
The first batch I did by cutting the potatoes in wedges. But I found a way I like better that I've used for all the batches since. I take my mandoline and slice the potatoes on the widest setting which is 3/8". Hmm... I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Btw, overall this will take two days for each batch, or sets of batches.
Before the beginning, clear out space in your freezer to stack cookie sheets or dehydrator trays. I completely cleared out my inside freezer for this. Amazingly, it is still cleared out for these projects.
First, I get a big bowl. For this I was using my 6 quart bowls. I put in two tablespoons of Fruit Fresh and 8 cups of water. Then I wash about 20 potatoes. Then I pulled out my mandoline and sliced all the potatoes on the widest setting which is 3/8". After that first slicing, I sat down with a good knife and the cutting board and cut each slice into pieces that were 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long. And those went back in the water. Then the whole thing went in the fridge overnight. The overnight soak pulls out some of the starch.
Now, we like fries that way or as wedges. But for blanching and freezing, a uniform size is better so I stuck with the sliced fries after the first batch. If you don't like that style, feel free to cut to your preferred style. If you don't like the skins on, feel free to peel them. There is no one right way for this.
After the soak, I prepped one of my 4 quart pots and the stainless steel steamer with water just over the bottom of the steamer. (https://amzn.to/2C9vaC8) I'm going to be honest, my steamers lost the inside handle a long time ago. It proved to be more a hindrance then a help. Now, I could have gone big for this but I wanted to keep it at sizes that I could season and place on trays within the time it took for the next batch to blanch.
In my sink, I dumped a big bag of ice and then filled about halfway with cold water. Inside of that I sat one of my 13 quart stainless steel bowls with about a gallon of filtered water. I didn't really need it this big but it is the easiest way to do it in my small kitchen. Next to that was a small bowl, salt, pepper, and spray oil. For now, I have coconut oil spray. I also have avocado oil spray. And if I run out of those I also have olive oil in a refillable sprayer. Oh, and a set of tongs because oily fingers can make things risky is the kitchen. (https://amzn.to/33EF2z7)
Then, tucked away in another spot, was the trays from my dehydrator. They are a good size for this and the screen will allow the freezer air to circulate better. But if you don't have a dehydrator, cookie sheets will work just as well.
I basically ran it as an assembly line. First, I got the water in the pot/steamer boiling. Then I filled the pot/steamer to the top and put on the lid. Lastly, I set a timer for 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, I used a slotted spoon to pull the fries and drop them in the cold water in the big bowl in the sink. Then I quickly refilled the pot, put the lid back on, and reset the timer.
After the pot was going again, I went over to the cooling fries. It really only takes a couple of minutes for them to cool and they are typically cool by the time I get back to them. I used a slotted spoon to pull two spoonfuls of fries over the the small bowl. I sprayed them with oil, and then sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I took a spoon and stirred them until I was sure that they all had a layer of oil and spices. After they were coated, I used the tongs to put them on the dehydrator trays. In interest of getting this done before the next batch of fries was ready, I stacked the trays as I filled them and then put all the filled trays in the freezer after I finished the batch.
Then I went back to empty the pot and refill it. A 6 quart bowl of sliced fries did four full batches. Two 6 quart bowls is enough to use all my dehydrator trays, so that was my stopping point each time. The batch from the first day was enough to break even on the cost of the potatoes versus buying these from the store. And I hadn't even used a quarter of the box yet. As of now, I've done half the box and I'm working on a different product at the moment. I'll post that when I get that one done. Actually, I think that one is going up over several posts.
Anyways, back to the fries. If you can't get back to them and they sit in the fridge for a few days, they'll be fine. The Fruit Fresh keeps them perky white and they stay wonderfully firm. If you want to use more than salt and pepper, have at it. Have fun with flavoring them in ways that you and your family would enjoy. That is one of the really great things about homemade. If you want to use different oils, go right ahead. But using an oil and making sure each fry has a light coating is important. They are more like puffy potato slices if you don't do that. And they don't taste like fries at all.
As for cooking them, preheat the oven to 430 degrees. Then bake for 20 minutes. You can flip them halfway through if you want to but I rarely bother. So far, they have the approval of my son. And I like them as well.
(This was done about a month ago and I've got to tell you, we love these. It didn't matter which oils I used. The flavors came out well and they are great sides.)
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