The many restaurants selling French fires frequently combine servings of fries with another food, for example, fried fish or hamburgers. Also, these restaurants advertise widely, so we are tempted to buy French fried potatoes repeatedly.

There is disagreement as to the origin of this method of cooking potatoes. Because the term “French” is used in the name, many people give cooks in France credit for having first prepared french fries.

One potato expert says that the best french fries are made in the Netherlands, where they are found on almost every street corner in Amsterdam.
Others think the Belgians have the best fries, and there are shops in New York City selling Belgian-style fries.

Traditional French Fried Potatoes

Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Add to bowl of ice water.
Drain and pat very dry on paper towels.
In deep-fat fryer or heavy saucepan, heat about 4 inches of vegetable oil to 390ºF.
Place layer of potato strips in fryer basket and immerse in hot oil or, if using a saucepan, add a few potato strips at a time to hot oil.  Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels; season with salt.