Jan 12 2010
Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Homemade French Fries – recipes
The other day I was perusing one of my favorite blogs (Steamy Kitchen) and I found Jaden’s post on the Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I have a weakness for fried chicken.
If you can make a good fried chicken, you can win over my foodie heart.
And, if you can make perfectly crispy homemade fries…well…I will just been sitting next to you with a big smile and greasy fingers.
But, since I’m the cook around here, I am the one in charge of satisfying my cravings. So, I got to it.
You will find that the secret to a crispy crust is not a soggy wet batter, but rather a crumbly dry one. I recommend checking out the Jaden’s post with step-by-step images.
And the fries, well, it’s easier than you think to produce perfectly crisp fries at home. It’s a trick a friend of mine taught me. It’s all about the double frying. Which, is basically what you do when you buy the pre-cut frozen fries from the grocery store.
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized Potato per person, peeled
2 liters of Oil for deep frying (I used sunflower seed oil)
Salt
Directions:
In a large pot heat the oil to 175°C (347°F). Use a thermometer for best results.
Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes into even shapes of your choice (traditional fries, wedges, waffle, etc). Place in a bowl and soak in tap water for a few seconds, stirring around with your hand to loosen the starch from the potatoes. Drain the water and rinse the fries a second time. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Fry batches of potato, making sure that they can swim freely and are not crowding each other. Fry only for a few minutes – until the fries start to turn a pale yellow – not golden!! Remove to a paper towel lined plate immediately and repeat with another batch of potatoes.
Once the fried fries have cooled slightly, start the process all over again, but only let them fry a few seconds because they will turn a nice crispy golden color very quickly with the second fry. Remove to another paper towel lined plate and salt with a salt grinder set to a very fine setting.
Serve immediately. Enjoy.
[...] and tangy…and not soggy and gooey. So, I used a special breading technique I picked-up making Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I always keep a bag of the pre-made buttermilk breading mixture in my freezer. It’s great [...]
[...] well with fries and a big [...]