chipotle mayo Archives

When I was growing up, French fries at home meant the frozen kind, that you baked in the oven. I was raised on all kinds of frozen foods, Swanson TV dinners, chicken pot pies, and Sara Lee frozen banana cake (I never waited for it to thaw). It was the 70’s and we were a modern family.

My mom would never consider deep frying at home. She had an extremely acute sense of smell, (sadly, that has changed) and the scent of oil lingering in the air would drive her crazy. We joked that she could smell an odour 1 day before it occurred.

It wasn’t until I went to Culinary school, that I learned the correct way to make real French fries. You need to fry the potatoes twice. The first fry, at 320°F, cooks the inside. The exterior will still be quite pale andthe fries will be limp. Then, crank up the fryer to 375°F for a second round. Fry until crispy and golden brown. Salt them as soon as they come out of the fryer.

Now, my friend Brigitte will tell you that you need to fry them three times. She’s Belgian. They also give three kisses. It does get them extra crispy, so give it a try and see what you think.

I have posted about French fries on this blog a few times, here, here and here. I realized the photos needed an update. Here’s an image I took in 2012. It’s fun to look back and see how my skills have developed.

Last week my daughter reminded me that it was almost September and we hadn’t made French fries even once all summer long. So we busted out the deep fryer (it gets used twice a year, once in the summer for fries and again at Chanukah for donuts).

There will undoubtedly be those that insist on ketchup, but mix up a batch of chipotle mayo as well and surprise those traditionalists. Chop up one chipotle chili in adobo sauce and mix it into a cup of Hellman’s mayo. Brigitte makes her own mayo, but she’s special that way!😉

Click here to print recipe for Classic-French-Fries Download

I have been making squash fries at least once a week for over two years now. It recently occured to me that that I have not shared the recipe with you yet. My bad! Sorry about that. Once you try them, you too will be serving them often. I started making them around the same time that I discovered smoked paprika. Squash and smoked paprika are just made for each other. I usually roast vegetables at a high heat (450°F), which gives then that gorgeous char. However, I have been reading that roasting veggies at a low temp (250°F) deeply concentrates the flavours and gives you a velvety-custardy texture. They turn out more evenly cooked and less shriveled than their high-heat friends. I will admit that the roasting time balloons from 45 minutes to over 2 hours, but it’s unattended roasting time. If you can plan ahead, your patience will be rewarded.

First we need to tackle peeling and cutting the squash. This can be scary if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s my method.

Make sure you spread them out in a single layer on the baking sheet.I love dipping them in chipotle mayo. I just mix low fat mayo (please do not use that fat-free stuff) with canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. It is commonly found in the Mexican section of the supermarket. One can will give you way more than you need for this recipe. Here’s what I do to deal with leftovers. Remove all the seeds from the chiles, and process into a smooth paste in the food processor. Transfer paste to a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once the paste is frozen solid, transfer to a zip-loc bag and store in freezer. Then you can simply break off pieces as you need them. Here are some great ideas on what to do with leftover chipotles.

Salt and Serenity

Tales from my kitchen

Tag Archives: chipotle mayo

Homemade French Fries

Squash Fries with Chipotle Mayo

Click here to print recipe for Squash Fries with Chipotle Mayo.