Fries with Lemon Salt & Rosemary
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Lemon sugar revolutionized baking for me. Lemon salt promises to do the same for everything else. Though my use of this flavored salt extends to this single recipe — “straw potatoes” seasoned with lemon salt (thanks to April Bloomfield) and fried with rosemary (thanks to Jamie Oliver) — the possibilities are endless. Salt might just become lemon salt from here on out.
I know deep frying can be intimidating — vats of hot oil are never fun — and somewhat wasteful — even small-batch frying requires a fair amount of oil — and smelly — your kitchen (house?) inevitably will smell of fast-food — but sometimes these sorts of annoyances are worth the trouble. This is one such case. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.
A few notes:
• This recipe requires a mandoline — the fine shape of the julienned potato allows them to fry up first time around (as opposed to thick-cut fries, which require a double fry) — and calls for deep frying.
• When deep frying, be very careful. Use a pot with high sides to be safe, and make sure the oil is not filled as far as half-way up the sides — two or three inches should do.
• Fry in small batches: If you add too many potatoes to the hot oil, the oil will bubble over the side of the pan and creep along your stove top, creating a huge mess and posing a serious danger to you and anyone crawling around your floor. Too many potatoes at one time, too, will bring the temperature of the oil down, which will cause the potatoes to take longer to cook also making them soggy in the process.
April Bloomfield’s Rosemary Straw Potatoes with Lemon Salt
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Source: Cooking with Jamie
Ingredients
for the lemon salt:
- zest of one lemon
- 4 tablespoons sea salt (I used 3)
- sunflower oil (I used a mix of canola and vegetable oil)
- 1 3/4 lb. potatoes, peeled and julienned* (I used Yukon Gold, and I didn’t peel)
- a few sprigs of rosemary
* The potatoes can be julienned in advance — about an hour or so — before they start turning slightly brown. A little brown is OK, but too much brown is probably not a good idea. Storing the potatoes in water will prevent browning, but you also must dry the potatoes very well before you start frying, which is kind of a pain.
Instructions
- Make the lemon salt: In a mortar and pestle, bash together the lemon zest and salt until salt is flavored, colored, and fine. Place in a dish. Use whatever you need right away or allow it to dry out for a couple of hours before storing it. (I made my lemon salt a day in advance and stored it in the mortar wrapped in plastic wrap.)
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a sturdy, high-sided pan; bring to deep-frying temperature (350°F; to avoid oil catching fire, be sure to maintain its temperature at 350°F). Jamie’s tip: place a potato in the cold oil before you turn the burner on. When the potato rises to the top of the oil and begins to turn golden brown, the oil is ready. Remove the potato piece and start frying in small batches.
- Pat the julienne strips dry with some paper towels to remove any excess starch. Making sure you’ve got a slotted spoon or spider (which is like a flat colander with a handle) and a big pile of paper towels to one side (I did not use paper towels, but instead transfered the finished fries to a large aluminum bowl, which allows for easy tossing), carefully place some of your potatoes into the pan of oil (don’t overcrowd it) for a couple of minutes (1 to 2) until golden brown and crisp. Cook potatoes in batches until they are all used up. Add the rosemary for the last 30 seconds. (Note: It’s hard to judge when the last 30 seconds will be, but the rosemary can be in the oil for as few as 10 seconds. I basically added the rosemary in at the last few seconds of each batch). Remove the potatoes and rosemary to the paper towels (or a large bowl) to soak up any excess oil; dust with your lemon salt. Serve immediately, perhaps alongside a blue cheese burger as they are at the Spotted Pig.
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49 Comments on “Fries with Lemon Salt & Rosemary”
I used to Live in the town this salt came from in England. Maldon. I love this recipe and Jamie Oliver. Looks so crunchy.
What fun! I’m dying to get back to England for a visit. My dad has a flat in Portsmouth that is just sitting there. I think I need to put it to some good use 🙂
I was perusing the mandolins this morning at Amazon with the thought of making sweet potato and beet chips, but have not made up my mind which to buy. What brand do you use? I’m adding your lovely site to my Bloglovin list. These fries just blew me away.
Barbara, hi! So sorry for this late response. I was camping for two days with the family, and we didn’t have wi-fi access…the horror! OK, so, I love my Benriner (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00032RZNK?ie=UTF8&tag=alexandrask06-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00032RZNK) for a number of reasons, but most importantly because it works beautifully but also because it is so easy to store. I did a post on it actually: https://alexandracooks.com/2012/06/26/benriner-mandoline-turning-slicer-kevlar-gloves/ Now, and I note this in the post, but I have a cutting board with a back upper lip that helps me stabilize the mandoline. It’s handheld versus freestanding. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much for writing in!
Hi! Thank you for the delicious recipe. I just made thmn for dinner to go with out panko breaded Portobello burgers… Heaven! Thanks!! 🙂
Right – my kitchen needs a mandoline right now! The texture of those chips must be amazing and I’m totally intrigued by your lemon salt – what other foods do you use it with (I’m veggie)?
Deep frying doesn’t have to be wasteful. You can save and reuse leftover oil. Just let it cool and strain it into a jar with a tight lid.
I was wondering if I can use an air fryer?
Sure?! Never used one, so I don’t know how to advise … please report back if you give it a go.
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Have never made either potato straws or lemon salt but definitely going to give it a try, it looks so mouthwatering.