This past Saturday night, we were having fish & chips in your home. I have perfected a fried cod recipe over a couple years and now it was time to work on producing the perfect side. Since I was pan frying my cod, I thought I would start out using the oil to make some potatoes. Now in order to reduce the amount of oil used, I decided to cook my potatoes twice. Fry them first to get them started and finish them in the oven. This combo method gives me the best of both worlds. I still get a crisp end product, which I would never get in the oven. I also reduce the amount of time for the potatoes in the oil, giving them less time to absorb oil.
Ingredients
Russett potatoes
Canola oil
Kosher salt
Equipment I used
Mandoline Slicer
Wide Saute Pan
(you could also use a cast iron skillet
)
infrared thermometer
Spider Strainer
Half Sheet pan
cooling rack
Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat
To slice the potatoes
To get a nice even slice, I used my Mandolin. I wash, dry, and cut the potates in half. And then run them through the Mandolin, with a plate underneath to catch the slices.
To fry the potatoes
Pour enough oil into your pan to fill it up about ½ inch. Heat the oil up to 375 degrees. I monitor the oil temperature with an infrared thermometer. Since I am not deep frying, there isn't enough oil for a deep fry thermometer. Do your best to monitor the temperature. When you add the potatoes it will decrease the temp, so do it one slice at a time and adjust the heat if necessary. Also make sure not to let the potatoes touch as they will stick together. Fry them until they begin to slightly brown. Then pull them out using a spider and place them on a sheet pan that has a cooling rack on top of it with paper towel or newspaper in between the rack and the sheet pan. This will help wick away excess oil.
To bake the potatoes
Place them in a 350 degrees oven on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a slipat. I also salt my potatoes before I place then in the oven. You can add another seasonings too like garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, etc. In about 15-20 mintues, they should browned and cooked all the way through. I cook my fish in the same oil, while the potatoes are cooking, so everything is done at the same time.
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