Home fried chips:
My first experiment was deep-fried chips, which we had with steak on Saturday night (6/9/14). Quite straightforward- I cut 850g of maris pipers (at room temperature) into medium size chips, leaving the skin on, gave them a quick rinse and dried them with a tea towel. This was to remove any excess starch and to minimise the water going into the oil. (Apparently soaking them for a few hours is a good thing).
The frier took about 2 litres of oil- I used rapeseed. I cooked the chips at 160°C for about 8 minutes, took them out, increased the temperature to 190°C whilst I cooked the steak and vegetables, cooking the chips for a further 8 minutes while the steak was resting.
The chips were absolutely delicious with Halen Môn sea salt from Anglesey, and were definitely enjoyed by everyone. The best chips I have ever done :-)
I forgot to photograph them so here's a picture from the Web.
Next time I might have a go at Heston Blumenthal's triple-cooked chips.
Sunday night I had a go at chicken wings and celeriac chips.
Chicken wings:
I needed a recipe that didn't include flour, to fit in with my low-carb diet. So I found this one that looked good at http://pinchofyum.com/filipino-fried-chicken:
| Ingredients | I used... | Method |
| 2 lb. chicken drumsticks | 1kg chicken wings, each separated into 2 and tips removed (and fed to the dog) | Place the raw chicken in a large bowl. |
| 1-2 teaspoon minced garlic 1-2 teaspoon minced onion 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (Magic Sarap) 1 egg 1 tablespoon cornstarch |
1 tbsp minced garlic and ginger 1 tablespoon Hendersons relish 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon Anglesey sea salt 1 tbsp Dunn's River All Purpose Seasoning 1 egg 1 tablespoon cornflour |
Add the garlic, onion, oyster sauce, black pepper, salt, seasoning mix, egg, and cornstarch. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated. |
| 1-2 cups oil for frying | c. 2 litres rapeseed oil | -Heat oil in a large pot (deep fat fryer) over medium heat (to 190°C). -When hot, drop the chicken wings, one piece at a time, in the oil. -Fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy (I cooked them for 6-7mins). -I cooked these in two batches. |
These were very popular, particularly with George. Next time I might try cooking the chicken for longer at a lower temperature, but these were lovely and moist inside, with crispy skin.
The original recipe was to shallow-fry these in 2 cups of oil for about 20 minutes.
I served these alongside a roast chicken with delicious roast spuds (maris pipers, boiled for 15 mins, tossed in goose fat and my polenta mix and roasted at 210°C for about an hour), my carrots and sweetheart cabbage:
Celeriac chips:
This was an experiment. I didn't give myself enough time to follow this recipe so had to adapt it:
Original recipe
1 large celeriac
2 garlic cloves, peeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme
A generous pinch of sea salt
500ml melted duck fat
Groundnut oil, for deep-frying
Now confit the celeriac for the chips. Cut off the top and base of the celeriac, then slice off the skin, following the curve of the root (you want to cut beneath the natural inner layer that surrounds the vegetable), and cut the flesh into 1cm-thick chips. Place the chips in a small pan and add the garlic, thyme and salt. Pour over the melted duck fat to cover and lay a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper on top. Place the pan over a low heat and simmer slowly for 12-15 minutes, until the celeriac is tender. Drain the celeriac (once cool, reserve the fat for roasting spuds or something another day), lay on a tray lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool.
When you're ready to cook, heat the groundnut oil in a deep-fat fryer or other suitable deep, heavy pan to 180C (if you don't have a thermometer, that's the temperature when a small piece of bread dropped into the hot oil will sizzle vigorously). In several batches, deep-fry the celeriac chips for a few minutes until they are evenly golden brown and crisp on the outside. Remove, drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt and keep warm while you cook the fish.
My version:
1 large celeriac
2 garlic cloves, peeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme
A generous pinch of sea salt
500ml melted duck fat
Groundnut oil, for deep-frying
Now confit the celeriac for the chips. Cut off the top and base of the celeriac, then slice off the skin, following the curve of the root (you want to cut beneath the natural inner layer that surrounds the vegetable), and cut the flesh into 1cm-thick chips. Place the chips in a small pan and add the garlic, thyme and salt. Pour over the melted duck fat to cover and lay a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper on top. Place the pan over a low heat and simmer slowly for 12-15 minutes, until the celeriac is tender. Drain the celeriac (once cool, reserve the fat for roasting spuds or something another day), lay on a tray lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool.
When you're ready to cook, heat the groundnut oil in a deep-fat fryer or other suitable deep, heavy pan to 180C (if you don't have a thermometer, that's the temperature when a small piece of bread dropped into the hot oil will sizzle vigorously). In several batches, deep-fry the celeriac chips for a few minutes until they are evenly golden brown and crisp on the outside. Remove, drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt and keep warm while you cook the fish.
My version:
Time was short so I cut the celeriac into chips and boiled them for about ten minutes until softish.
I let them dry off and deep-fried them at 190°C for about 8 minutes or so until seemingly crispy.
Mine were good but they did lose their crispness very quickly. Next time I would cook them for longer and serve them straight away. I would like to give the above recipe a go though.
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