- 4 medium-to-large Idaho, Maine, or California potatoes
- Peanut oil or rendered beef fat for deep-frying
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into long strips from ¼ to ½ inch wide and thick. Have ready a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Heat the fat in deep fryer to 325° and, if you are using a basket, heat the basket in the fat.
- See that the potatoes are completely dry; lift out the basket; toss a handful of the potatoes into it and lower them slowly into the hot fat.
- Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they get rather flabby-looking. They should not brown. During the cooking, lift the basket and shake the potatoes around once or twice to prevent them from sticking together.
- Remove the potatoes as they are cooked to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and leave at room temperature from 1 to 1½ hours, until you are ready to do your second frying.
- Then reheat the fat and basket to 375° or 380°; toss the prefried potatoes back into the hot fat, a handful at a time; and fry for 2 or minutes, or until they are as brown as you prefer.
- Be sure to bring the fat back to the correct temperature after each batch. Keep warm in a 250° oven, on lined baking sheets.
- Season your French fries with salt and freshly ground black pepper just before serving.