French Fries

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you're peeling the potatoes (if you want them peeled). After peeling, slice the potatoes as thick as you like in whatever shape you like, but put them into a bowl of cold water while they're waiting for the next step.
2. Boil the sliced potatoes for about a minute. This will not only begin their cooking, but also prevent the sugars from oxidizing and turning the raw potatoes brown. Drain and collect them in a colander.
3. In a second large pot, bring at least 2 quarts of canola oil to a temperature of 360 degrees. Use a fat thermometer to monitor this. The oil should not fill more than one-third the depth of the pot.
4. Put a handful of the cut, blanched, cooled fries into the hot oil. Stand there with a skimmer or slotted spoon to stir the pot should the foam rise too high.
5. Fry the potatoes until they're just light brown. Remove and drain. Let the temperature of the oil return to 360 degrees before lowering the next batch.
6. When ready to serve, heat the oil back up to about 400 degrees. I warn you that we are in grease-fire territory here, and you should be very careful about this. Have a dry-chemical fire extinguisher handy. (Never, ever use water to put out a grease fire.) It might be best to do this outside. Place a handful of the once-fried fries back into the basket and lower it into the hot oil. Fry for about 15 seconds; they will brown very quickly, and may even puff up. Drain, salt, pepper, and serve immediately.