McDonald’s French Fries Remake
Howdy y’all and do we have a treat for you today. For over a year I have tested, experimented, dreamed about, and anguished over this here recipe. Y’all, I HAVE DONE IT. I have recreated the perfect McDonald’s French Fry. Now, this is not their recipe – that recipe is locked up tight and guarded by the Game of Thrones dragon. What this is, is my best effort at copying what is one of the most iconic foods in American culture – the McDonald’s French Fry.
The Potato
Start with a russet potato. McDonald’s claims to use three types of Russet potatoes and I’m glad for them, but we just use what we can find at the grocery store. Peel the potatoes.
If you plan on making a lot of these fries over time, you’re going to want to get you one of these French fry cutters. These will ensure the fries are uniform in size. This is important because we want to fry them all together and have them all cooked through.
Y’all don’t have to go full on fancy, don’t worry. Once your potatoes are peeled, slice them so that they are the same width. They’ll turn out delicious either way.
Tip: Slice potatoes into equal sized pieces. This will ensure they all cook thoroughly.
Now, in order to have a super crispy French fry, we want to get rid of as much starch as possible. First, rinse the starch off the outside of the potatoes by running ice water through a colander. Then, set the fries in ice water. Take the time to make sure none of these fries are sticking together. Rinse them off again in the colander and set aside to dry.
Tip: Make sure the potatoes are completely dry before you fry them. This will prevent oil splatter.
The Brine
In order to remove as much starch as possible from the potatoes, we are going to soak them in a brine. Start with a bowl of ice water. Add the sugar, white vinegar, and salt. Now, McDonalds used to fry their fries in beef tallow. We are going to use Canola and some lard, so for now, add some beef bouillon powder into the brine. This will get the flavor a little closer to McDonald’s.
Add the fries to the brine and set in the ice box for at least two hours.
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Original Seasoning
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Two Hours Later
Place the potatoes back in the colander and let them dry off for a few minutes. Pour them out on a dish towel or paper towel and do your best to get every last bit of moisture out of them so they won’t splatter when they go in the fryer.
Get the Oil Hot
While the fries are drying, slowly pre-heat the Canola oil to 300 degrees. We are going to fry these twice to get them extra crispy. Start by frying the potatoes for five minutes at 300. The brine is going to help prevent the fries getting oily.
Tip: By frying twice, once at 300 and once at 415, the fries are extra crispy and flavorful.
After five minutes, remove the fries and add a cup of lard to the canola oil. Bring the temperature to about 415 degrees and fry for just under a minute. These will turn golden and crispy before you can say Oklahoma.
Remove from oil when done, season with a mixture of Red River Ranch Original Seasoning and beef bouillon powder. Give them just a minute to cool off and get to eating!
As always, Shannon and I are grateful that you watch our videos and enjoy our recipes. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and we will see you next Wednesday at 2:30 central time!
McDonald’s French Fries – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 1 large Russet potato peeled
- 6 cups ice water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 1 oz packets beef bouillon, divided
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 cup lard
- Kent’s Original seasoning or salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the water, sugar, vinegar, salt and 1 packet beef bouillon. Set aside.
- Cut the potatoes into thin, even strands. We also recommend using a commercial potato cutter. Rinse the potatoes well with ice water, twice.
- Submerge the fries in the water mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Drain the fries from the water and place on a paper towel. Dry the fries well with paper towels.
- Add 3 inches deep of the canola oil to a Dutch oven or deep fryer and heat to 300 degrees F.
- Add the fries to the oil, a small batch at time, and fry for 5 minutes. Strain and place on a paper towel.
- Add the lard to the oil and increase the temperature to 415 degrees F. When the lard has melted, add the fries, a small batch at a time. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until crispy and a light golden brown. Strain and place on a paper towel or rack. Immediately sprinkle with Kent’s Original seasoning and remaining bouillon packet, to taste . Serve warm.