Duck Fat Fries

So much has been eaten (by me) in the past month or more that I hardly know where to start. For one, I was obsessed with the October 2008 issue of Eating Well and kept repeating the pineapple coffeecake (with nectarines instead of pineapple) because it was at once so "healthy" and delicious. Ok, it wasn't fat-free or anything, but it had a hearty cup or more of whole wheat flour, adding some much needed fiber to my diet. (ha ha, or not!) All in all, it was delicious. I made a teryaki chicken dish from the same issue, also delicious. And I have been wanting to make a turkey meatloaf from said issue, that uses bulgur as a fibrous filler. I shelled out the big bucks for the bulgur, but still haven't gotten around to making the meatloaf. Turkey meat sauce and spaghetti is just way too easy for me to make, and prevents me from getting round to the meatloaf.

Also, I was weighed down with some stomach troubles for awhile, and was trying to eat only bland foods. That wasn't so much fun. When I started feeling better for maybe a day, my boyfriend decided that it was time to try making double fried french fries (fried in duck fat a la Vegas, baby) AT HOME! Thankfully, this is San Francisco, and finding duck fat was as easy as typing "google.com" in the url. I can always count on the Chow threads. While the duck fat didn't leave a poultry-ish taste, the fries were crispy, golden, and looked super professional. Good job, Joe! The tasty shoestrings called for meaty steaks, which I topped with a wine/broth/shallot/basalmic/mustard reduction which was sweet, acidic and heavenly. All this, and a bottle of 2 buck Chuck called for nothing less than a flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It was a real bistro meal. So good. Of course, it wasn't the best meal for a rebounding stomach, but it certainly dazzled my tastebuds.

And so I leave you with a few pictures...


Start off by peeling and chopping your potato into desired width:

Next, place shoestrings in big vat of hot oil, or melted duck fat:

Then drain on paper towel (and prepare for 2nd fying---not shown here, unfortunately. I can vouch for the fact that the end result produces a deep golden, crispy fry.)

Finish it all off with chocolate cake for dessert!