Nothing goes better with your grilled burger than fresh-out-of-the-pan tallow french fries! No vegetable oil. No fillers. Just pure potato and real fat.
You’ve got the grill fired up. The burgers are under way. There is a pile of fresh vegetables from the garden to create a salad.
But something is missing.
What is the perfect side with a grilled burger and garden vegetables? French fries, of course!
Convenience Food for Real Foodies
There is very little convenience food that I buy. But I confess that french fries are almost always in my freezer. They are easy when you don’t have time to cut up potatoes.
Plus with a kid that is allergic to wheat, rice and corn but refuses to eat potatoes in any form except french fries or chips…you serve french fries a little more than you would like.
Since I don’t really care for the vegetable oils in the frozen variety I do sometimes make my own tallow french fries.
If you have never had homemade french fries you are really missing out! They are better than anything you’ll get from a bag or even from a restaurant.
My whole family goes crazy for these tallow french fries. I go crazy for them too…because they are made with healthy fat and have no fillers, gums or acids. Some frozen french fries even have corn! A big no-no with a corn allergy.
The Secret to Crispy Homemade French Fries
When making homemade tallow french fries there is an important step you can’t forget. Soak and dry the potatoes! This is critical so they will fry up nicely. The soaking removes some of the starch. And oil and water really don’t mix.
Another key to great french fries is using enough fat. I don’t have a fryer. I don’t like to use up all of my tallow at one time either. But I do make sure that there is a plenty of fat in the pan. When I’m done making the french fries I pour the leftover tallow back into a jar to use later.
Of course the final step is to sprinkle the tallow french fries with lots of quality unrefined sea salt. The saltier the better in my opinion.
Then pair them with quality ketchup or make your own!
Freshly Cooked French Fries
Homemade tallow french fries are best eaten fresh out of the pan. There really is nothing like it.
But if you have leftovers (something that pretty much never happens here with homemade fries) you can reheat them in the oven.
You could make a big batch when you have some time in the kitchen and freeze them so you have homemade french fries on hand for quick meals.
French Fries Without Potatoes
Maybe you don’t like potatoes? Or maybe you’re like me and don’t tolerate them?
Try another vegetable! You can use the same cooking method with carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and rutabagas. Pretty much any root vegetable will work.
Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine is. Grab some potatoes, tallow and salt. Fry up the best french fries you’ve ever tasted. Just a warning…your family will want them all the time once they’ve tried tallow french fries.
Have you ever made your own french fries?
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- sea salt to taste
- tallow (enough to fill pan)
- Peel the potatoes. Cut into 1/2" sticks.
- Soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes.
- Dry the potatoes completely.
- Heat tallow in a large skillet over medium heat (use enough to fill the pan about 1/4" deep).
- Cook the potatoes in the tallow until golden, turning once in a while to make sure all sides are browned, about 10 - 15 minutes.
- Place the finished fries on a paper towel and sprinkle liberally with sea salt.
- Serve immediately.
- Lard or palm shortening will work in place of the tallow.
- Any root vegetable will work in place of the potato.
- Store leftover fries in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Heat in the oven to warm.