Chef Juliette
Stuffed Onions
Oignons farcis teach the discipline of the shell: mild onions hollowed without weakness, filled with their own flesh and Duxelle, braised in butter and stock, then glazed until the tops bronze.
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Chipped Potatoes
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2217, Chipped Potatoes, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Pommes chips prove that crispness begins before the oil: thin potato roundels, soaked exactly ten minutes, dried without mercy, then fried pale gold for roast game, hot or cold.
Side Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
25 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 servings
Pommes chips (chipped potatoes) teach one clear principle: crispness begins in cold water, not hot oil. The ten-minute soak removes the loose surface starch that makes fine potato roundels cling together, while thorough drying allows them to fry crisp instead of softening beneath trapped moisture.
The original assumed a special potato plane, a fryer kept ready for service, stacks of linen, and brigade quantities. It needed neither a saucier nor stock kept on the fire, and certainly no salamander. A guarded mandoline, a heavy pot, two clean towels, and a thermometer are the honest home equivalents. The ready fryer and endless linen were brigade scaffolding and can go; the ten-minute soak, complete drying, and small-batch frying are the dish and must stay. This version uses 900 grams of potatoes for four people: one cook, one stove, one evening.
Finished well, the roundels are fine, curled at their edges, and pale gold, with a clean snap that holds whether they reach the table hot or cool beside game roasted à l'anglaise (in the English manner). The step that matters most is drying: before a single slice meets the oil, its surface must feel like dry paper beneath your fingertips.
Pommes chips belong to the cosmopolitan classical kitchens of Paris rather than to one regional French larder, where cooks adopted the English word for paper-thin potato roundels served with game roasted à l'anglaise. They are not the thick batons that British tables also call chips; in this preparation, the fine round shape, brief soaking, and brittle crispness define the dish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
medium floury potatoes
Quantity
4, about 6 cups sliced (1.4 L / 900 g)
peeled
cold water
Quantity
8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg)
refined peanut oil or neutral high-heat frying oil
Quantity
8 cups (1.9 L / about 1.75 kg)
for deep-frying
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g), plus more to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| medium floury potatoespeeled | 4, about 6 cups sliced (1.4 L / 900 g) |
| cold water | 8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) |
| refined peanut oil or neutral high-heat frying oilfor deep-frying | 8 cups (1.9 L / about 1.75 kg) |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g), plus more to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Mandoline with hand guard, adjustable to 1 to 1.5 mm
- •Heavy 5-quart pot with high sides
- •Deep-frying thermometer
- •Wide mesh skimmer or spider
- •Two lint-free kitchen towels
- •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
Instructions
- 1
Slice even roundels
Fit a mandoline with its hand guard and slice the peeled potatoes crosswise into roundels 1 to 1.5 mm thick. Keep the thickness exact, because a thick slice stays leathery while a thin neighbor burns. Stop before the potato becomes too small to hold safely; the final stub belongs in tomorrow's soup, not beneath your fingertips.
A mandoline is the home equivalent of the original special plane. Use its guard from the first slice, not merely when the potato becomes short. - 2
Soak ten minutes
Drop the roundels directly into the cold water, separating them with your fingers so water reaches both sides. Leave them for exactly ten minutes. This brief soak loosens the surface starch responsible for sticking without waterlogging the potatoes; the cloudiness in the bowl is proof that the water has done its work.
- 3
Dry and heat
Pour the frying oil into a heavy 5-quart pot, keeping the pot no more than halfway full, and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Drain the potatoes thoroughly, spread them between two clean lint-free towels, and press and turn them until no droplets remain and each surface feels dry. Damp slices make the oil spit and leave the chips soft, so don't negotiate with this step. Keep the oil attended throughout frying.
- 4
Fry in small batches
Lay 8 to 10 dry roundels loosely on a spider or wide mesh skimmer and lower them gently into the oil. Stir at once to keep them separate, then fry at 340 to 350°F (170 to 175°C) until the bubbling quiets and the slices turn crisp and straw-gold, about 2 to 3 minutes. If two slices cling, tease them apart during the first twenty seconds while they are still flexible. If a batch emerges limp, the pot was crowded or too cool. Ça se rattrape: drain it, return the oil to 350°F (175°C), and fry the chips again for 20 to 40 seconds. If they brown before becoming crisp, lower the heat slightly for the next batch.
- 5
Drain and serve
Lift each batch onto a wire rack set over a tray, arranging the chips loosely rather than piling them, and season at once with a small pinch of salt. Let the oil return to 350°F (175°C) before adding the next batch. Serve the pommes chips immediately while hot, or cool them completely uncovered for the cold service prescribed with roast game à l'anglaise. Never cover warm chips, because trapped moisture steals their crispness. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose floury potatoes such as Russet or Maris Piper. Their lower moisture and generous starch give a dry, crisp chip once the loose surface starch has been soaked away.
- •The ten-minute soak is the dish, not optional fuss. It keeps the roundels from gluing themselves into little potato sandwiches as soon as they enter the oil.
- •Cold service means cooled to room temperature, not refrigerated. The refrigerator brings moisture to the surface and dulls the crispness.
- •Serve beside roast pheasant, grouse, or venison, exactly where the original places them. A light red Burgundy has enough freshness for the game without weighing down the potatoes.
Advance Preparation
- •The potatoes may be peeled up to 4 hours ahead and held whole in cold water. Slice them only when you are ready to give the roundels their prescribed ten-minute soak.
- •The pommes chips may be fried up to 4 hours before serving. Cool them completely, keep them airtight at room temperature, and re-crisp them in 350°F (175°C) oil for 20 to 30 seconds if humidity has softened them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 150g)
Calories
480 calories
Total Fat
34 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
28 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
600 mg
Total Carbohydrates
38 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
5 g
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