Rice? Potatoes? Pasta? Bread?
It's a silly question, I know, but one which gets your
brain whirring nonetheless. The sort you can ponder on and debate during long
car journeys or late summer's evenings, sat outside in the dwindling heat with
just one more glass of wine before bed. (A bit like our family discussions thrashing out choices for Desert Island Discs. Hours spent sat around the kitchen table considering the perfect balance of sentiment, memories, pleasure and exhilaration. My parents are just waiting for their invitation).
Pilaf, sushi, paella, sticky rice, risotto, rice
pudding, tah dig, jasmine rice.
Baked potatoes, dauphinois, good old roasties, loaded
skins, buttery mash, gnocchi, patatas bravas, potato cakes.
You get the picture (and I'm barely scratching the
surface). Countless ways to serve each humble carb.
I am undecided. My gut tells me it's rice. But the
pleasure I get from baking and eating a loaf of sourdough is pretty
insurmountable. Freshly baked, thickly sliced and dunked into a bowl of
steaming hot soup. Or toasted, spread with good butter and marmite. What would
you dip in your soup if you didn't have bread?
Noodles. NOODLES. What would I do without a bowl of
steaming hot broth, noodles, greens and marinated tofu. My go to dinner on the
rare occasion I'm eating alone at home. Restorative when I need a pick me up.
Pho, ramen, laksa. These I am not sure I would wish to forgo forever.
And yet, there is little so comforting, so homely and
so satisfying as the humble chip. Chippy chips. Chippy chip shop chips. Piping
hot, wrapped in paper, doused in salt and malt vinegar, and eaten on the
leisurely amble home from the chippy.
Proper, homemade chips. Perhaps not made in the old
greasy chip pan like Dad did when I was growing up (and sadly cause of many a
kitchen fire for some), but you know, fried. As they should be. There is whole
nation of children growing up in the belief that chips are cooked in the oven.
From the freezer or the M&S chilled cabinet and straight to a baking
tray.
Chips go with everything. My favourite comfort food
growing up was Granny's cauliflower cheese (made with extra cheese) and chips. My boys like them with homemade fishfingers and obscene amounts
of ketchup. I'm quite partial to them stuffed between two slices of well
buttered white bread. But if you ask my friend Jassy, she'll tell you that chip shop chips are perfect with crab. Especially crab with cider, creamand herbs.
500g Maris Piper potatoes
1.5 – 3 litres rapeseed oil*
Method
Peel the potatoes and put them into a bowl of cold
water.
Taking one potato at a time from the water, cut the
potatoes lengthways into finger sized chips (approximately 1cm to 1.5cm
diameter) and return them to the bowl of water.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the
boil. Add the chips and simmer for 5 minutes (but no longer, otherwise they may
begin to fall apart). Drain the chips and put them on kitchen paper until
completely cool.
Fill your deep fat fryer to the maximum
level with the rapeseed oil and heat to 130°C (the amount of oil you will need
will depend on the size of your fryer – I have a mini one which only takes 1.25 litres - and fry in batches,
if you have a large fryer you may need more oil so check the instructions).
Put the cooled chips into the basket of
your deep fat fryer, lower into the oil and cook until a pale crust starts to
form on the chips (about 7-8 minutes). Drain the chips and put them on fresh
kitchen paper until completely cool. (If you want to get ahead, you can cook
them up to this step and then leave in the fridge, covered, for up to 24 hours.
Heston says 3 days, but I’m not so keen when they’ve been sat around that long
and who has the self control to resist giving those chips their final fry for 3
days anyway?).
When you are ready to finish cooking the
chips, heat the oil in your deep fat fryer to 180°C. Put the cooled chips into
the basket of your deep fat fryer, lower into the oil and cook until golden and
crispy (about 4-5 minutes).
Drain the chips on kitchen paper, put them into a serving
bowl and sprinkle with plenty of good quality salt flakes.
*I use Waitrose
Essentials vegetable oil, which is 100% rapeseed oil. Jassy uses groundnut oil
for her chips (as does Heston). It does give a better flavour (and I think is
better at this heat), but it is much more expensive. You can reuse the oil – once
cool, drain it through a sieve into a suitable container and store in a cool
place until you next make chips. Probably the next day.