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Frugal French Fries Recipe

July 6, 2009 By Kelly 6 Comments

French Fries

NOTE: These are not a picture of our fries, they were gone before I could take a picture! cc Flickr photo credit: Charles Haynes

We have a deep love of french fries in our house. Everytime my 3 year old learns it’s a Friday, he asks if we can have fries. (such an adorable jokester)

I know they aren’t health food, but every once in awhile it hits the spot to have some perfect fries and a juicy hamburger (or veggie burger if you’re into that kind of thing).

I admit to being the lesser cook in the family. My husband can cook really good food. For the 4th, he decided to try to make french fries. Not those oven baked ones I make that turn into mush. No, actual fries, cooked in oil and the whole deal.

He did a bit of research and discovered a method of making fries that turned out the perfect french fry. Better than any restaurant we’ve had them in the recent past.

The 2 tricks to making a better fry are:

1) soaking the potatoes

2) frying the fries twice for less time

We found that russet potatoes are popular for fries since they cook well, and have a firmer texture. Try to buy organic if possible since potatoes are one of the dirty dozen.

Learn more: 10 Steps To Going Organic On A Budget

Frugal French Fries Recipe

Cost per serving: approx. 75 ¢

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs. of organic russet potatoes peeled (optional), and cut (you decide how thick you want them)
  • peanut oil (if you’re allergic to peanuts, try canola oil or palm oil, or for the really adventurous try beef tallow)
  • sea salt

Recipe Instructions

After peeling (optional) and cutting the potatoes, cover and place in the fridge covered with water in a bowl for 1-8 hours.

When they have been soaked, drain the sliced potatoes WELL. Pat dry with towels. Separate into 2 batches.

Heat oil on medium high in a large pot (we used a stock pot). Add first batch and cook only until slightly firm. Take them out, and drain on paper towels while you put in the next batch. The fries should be slightly darker in color and firmer, but not done.

When both/all your batches are done add them back in a second time and cook until golden brown and crispy.

Place them in a paper towel covered bowl/dish and liberally add garlic salt or sea salt to the fries while they are still hot.

Repeat with 2nd batch.

Enjoy!

Cost for all the items was $10. The oil at $5, can be re-used. Just let it cool then bottle it back up. The potatoes were $5 for a 5 lb. bag. (we used half a bag and it was plenty for the 6 hungry people) Sea salt we had on hand but is readily available for $1-2 at most grocery stores.

Enjoy!

Kelly

Want to try another recipe? Here are some more delicious ideas:

  • Taco Beef Recipe
  • Easy and Frugal Homemade Popcorn
  • Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
  • Slow Cooker Tangy Honey Chicken Recipe

About Kelly


Kelly Whalen is the founder and editor of the Centsible Life. She started the blog in 2008 as her family faced a mountain of debt and the fixer upper they purchased became a FIXER UPPER. The website was born out of her desire to share what was working (and what was not) on her family's journey to financial security. Kelly lives in Minneapolis with her family.

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Filed Under: Food Tagged With: cooking, Food, fries, frugal, recipes


Comments

  1. Kelly says

    July 6, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    I haven’t! Great idea.
    Don’t know if anyone else would go for them (I live with picky eaters LOL), but that just means more for me!

  2. Kelly says

    July 7, 2009 at 12:31 am

    I haven’t! Great idea.
    Don’t know if anyone else would go for them (I live with picky eaters LOL), but that just means more for me!

  3. MB says

    July 6, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    Sounds good. I love fries. Have you tried it with sweet potatoes? I love sweet potato fries with rosemary. YUM. Although I only ever bake mine and use olive oil. But, I’ve never had a problem with mushy fries after baking.

  4. MB says

    July 6, 2009 at 9:31 am

    Sounds good. I love fries. Have you tried it with sweet potatoes? I love sweet potato fries with rosemary. YUM. Although I only ever bake mine and use olive oil. But, I’ve never had a problem with mushy fries after baking.

Trackbacks

  1. How to make your own fries at home: Super Fries Recipe — Centsible Life says:
    April 9, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    […] ‘Whalen test kitchen’ that is complicated but produces amazing fries. We dubbed them ‘Frugal Fries’ since they cost so little to produce.  The amount of time it takes and forethought makes it a bit […]

  2. restaurant savings: coupons, books and sites to save your bread — the ¢entsible life says:
    October 5, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    […] make your favorite foods at home, it’s like going to your favorite restaurant […]

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Hi! I'm Kelly Whalen, writer, frugality expert, debt slayer, and money nerd. Welcome to the Centsible Life, my corner of the internet, where I help women live happier, healthier, and wealthier lives. My goal is to help you save time + money, so you can spend both how you want.

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