Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb russet potatoes (about 3 large potatoes)
- 2 C club soda, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 1/2 C potato starch*
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt, to taste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub your potatoes with a stiff brush – or peel them – and remove any eyes or bruises from the surface. Slice them in half, lengthwise, then lay the halves cut side down. If you want your steak fries to be rectangular, slice off the rounded top and edges of each half (and find something to do with the extra potato, don’t just waste it!). Slice each half into thick slices – not too thick, or they won’t cook through, go for just under 1/4″ – and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Continue until you’ve sliced all of your potatoes into fries.
- Heat a large vessel of oil over medium-high heat until the oil is around 350°F. While the oil is coming to temp, make the batter for the Battered Steak Fries: in a mixing bowl add the flour, potato starch, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne powder, and black pepper. Whisk them together, so the seasonings are evenly distributed.
- Next, pour in the club soda. Whisk vigorously until a lump-free batter has formed. It should be loose, similar to a gravy in consistency: it should coat the whisk before dripping off, and the sides of the bowl if you tilt it.
- Lay out a couple of clean kitchen towels, or a layer of paper towels. Drain the water from your steak fries, and lay the fries down on the towels to dry. Use another kitchen or paper towel to blot the tops of the fries: we want them to be as dry as possible, or the batter will just slide off. If you’ve dried the potatoes and still are having issues with the batter sticking toss the fries in some cornstarch or potato starch, then try again.
- Once the oil is at the desired temperature, add a few fries to the batter. Toss with tongs to coat them well, then add them one at a time to the oil, making sure to let the excess batter drip back down into the bowl before you add it to the oil. Allow each fry to sink and then rise back up in the oil before you add another one: this will avoid your fries sticking together. Add as many fries to the pan as can fit without bumping into each other too much.
- Fry the wedges until they’re golden brown, crispy and floating on top of the oil: about 7–11 minutes, using a chopstick or fork to pull any joined fries apart during the fry. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool while you continue frying the remaining steak fries. Make sure you allow the oil to come back to 350°F before starting each batch: cooled oil will make for tough fries. Serve fresh and hot! Dassit.
Notes
- Cornstarch is fine if you don’t have potato starch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
