Ultimate triple-cooked chips

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 18 mm chips. Rinse until the water runs mostly clear.
2. Put them in a wide pot with the water and vinegar. Bring slowly to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and starting to fissure but not collapsing.
3. Lift carefully onto a rack. Cool, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour so the surface dries.
4. Heat the fat to 140°C in a deep pot filled no more than halfway. Fry in small batches for 6 to 8 minutes until a pale crust forms without much colour. Drain and cool completely; chill again for at least 30 minutes.
5. Heat the fat to 185°C. Fry in small batches for 3 to 5 minutes until deep golden and audibly crisp.
6. Drain on a rack, season immediately, and serve without covering.

Notes

• Beef dripping gives Fallow’s savoury restaurant character; neutral oil keeps the chips vegetarian.
• The chips can wait after the first fry for up to one day in the refrigerator.
• Never fill a frying pot more than halfway, never add wet potatoes, and keep a lid nearby to smother, not move, an oil fire.
• The quantities are reconstructed and remain needs-review.

Sources used

• Fallow: Ultimate Michelin chips
• Michelin Guide: Heston Blumenthal’s triple-cooked chips