Ciao Readers!  And HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today I wax poetic about the most humble of foods, but one that if done correctly can be elevated to soaring heights of yumminess….the simple fry (or frites).  Probably a remnant of my 1.5 years working at McDonalds as a teenager, I used to think fries were junk food, never really thought much about them, and definitely was too snobby to eat them. Oh, how misguided was I!?!?!

If done correctly (in the European fashion – sorry, yes, they really do kick our butts in the fry department), fries are hot and soft and fluffy in the inside and brown and crisp (never greasy) and slightly salty on the outside. (And by the way, it is most likely that the Belgians, not the French, invented the fry, though Thomas Jefferson and WWI soldiers discovered them in France).  The key is to 1) soak them in water for a few hours before frying (then dry), 2) fry them twice (once on lower heat to cook through, the second time on higher heat to crisp up), and most importantly 3) be patient! – a proper fry is worth waiting a few minutes for it to take its last hot bath in oil (for the love of the gourmet gods, NO heat lamps!).  If you really want to gild the lily, serve with a euro-style mayonnaise sauce and use duck fat or ox fat or some other extraordinarily unhealthy but delectable type of animal fat for the frying (yes, this is coming from a person who was a vegetarian until age 31 – what can I say, I saw the light).  (If you ever happen to be in the area, Duckfat in Portland, Maine makes the perfect duckfat fry.)

Since we’ve been back from our trip Steve has tried to make fries twice – both times successfully, the last time, perfectly!   The pictures in order: Belgium frites in Brugge, French fries in France, frites in Amsterdam, jalapeño fries I MacGyvered in Italy, and last but not least, the fries Steve made last week (insert drool here):