Perfect Pommes Frites Recipe (French Fries)
Published August 4, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
The old fast-food chain fries will never taste the same again once you try these perfect homemade pommes frites.
I am such a huge potato fan, I seriously want them at every single meal. If you love them as much as I do and are in a rut with how to prepare them, then you definitely should make my German potato salad or my twice-baked potato recipe.
Pommes Frites
Pommes frites is a French term that translates to fried potatoes. To break it down, even more, they are simply French fries. The most interesting thing is that the Belgians are the creators and founders of pommes frites, which literally makes no sense.
They are said to be founded from soldiers in WWI who thought they were in France because everyone was speaking French and when the folks from Belgium were serving them up, they were considered French Fries. Weird, I know. Classically pommes frites would be fried in something called tallow, which is rendered beef or mutton fat. Good luck getting enough of that to make some pommes frites.
How to Make Perfect Pommes Frites from Scratch
Follow along with these step-by-step instructions for making these perfect pommes frites using the Belgian fry’s process:
Cut the potatoes to the size of your liking.
Keep the fries in a container of cold water for about 10 minutes. Using your hand move them around to help get more starch off the potatoes.
Drain the fries and rinse them well under cold water for about 3-4 minutes and then drain for an additional 2-4 minutes.
Add a few handfuls of the fries to hot oil in a pan or in a deep fryer at 300° for 3 minutes. Shake after 90 seconds. You may have to do this in batches.
Remove the fries and set them aside until ready to serve them. Turn the heat up until the oil reaches 350°.
When it comes time to serve the fries, this can be done right away, add the pre-fried fries to the fryer a few handfuls at a time and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the edges are browned. Feel free to cook longer for more browning.
Season the fries with salt and serve.
Baked French Fries
You can absolutely make really good baked French fries using a lot of the same process as this pommes frites recipe. Once you’ve cut them, held them in water, and rinsed them, here is how you do it:
- Coat the potatoes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl.
- Spread the potatoes out completely on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure they are not stacked or touching one another.
- Bake in the oven at 450° for 15-18 minutes.
- Toss the fries around and flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes at 450°, season and serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to eat right away. You could keep them warm in the oven on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 175° for 10-20 minutes before serving.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Once they are cooked, they will not freeze that well.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pommes frites to a cooked sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 3-6 minutes or until hot and crispy. You can re-fry in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot.
chef notes + tips
- You can substitute for Yukon gold potatoes.
- Feel free to cut them thinner or thicker to your liking.
- Cook the fries for 1 to 2 minutes longer if you like them to be crisper and more browned.
- These would go incredible with aioli or comeback sauce.
- Pommes frites are classically fried in rendered beef fat, which can be hard to come by.
- For French fries, I prefer to fry them in vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. Feel free to use which ever oil you’d like.
More Potato Recipes
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Video
Perfect Pommes Frites Recipe (French Fries)
Ingredients
- 4-6 russet potatoes, cut into French fry sizes
- oil for frying
- salt
Instructions
- Preheat some oil in a deep fryer or a pot to 300°.
- Add the prepared potatoes to a large container filled with cold water.
- Submerge the cut potatoes in the water and let them stand for about 10 minutes.
- Next, move the potatoes around in the water with your hand to get off some starch, and then strain them in a colander and rinse them well with cold water for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Let the potatoes drain off any excess water for an additional 2-4 minutes.
- Add a few handfuls of the cut potatoes to the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes. Move them around after 90 seconds. You may need to do this in batches.
- Remove the fries from the oil and keep them in the fryer basket or place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Turn the oil up to 350°.
- Add a few handfuls of the pre-fried potatoes to the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until crispy and browned on the edges. You can cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up and brown more.
- Drain the potatoes in the basket for no longer than a minute and then transfer them to a bowl and toss with salt. Serve immediately.
I made these and used your truffle fries recipe. Superb, and better than the restaurant. Thanks!
Excellent!
Omg… I cant wait to try these! I will try both ways just to see the difference. Thanks so much, I love your videos and your recipes.. dont use anybody else’s!! Keep them coming please👍
Thanks for checking it out!
I don’t know why making good-tasting french fries from scratch has always been so difficult for me. This was easy to follow, and the taste was fantastic!
so good!!
Not used to deep frying anything, but thanks to Chef Parisis’ expertise I am no longer afraid. When I follow the instructions the fries turned out beautiful golden brown. The only problem was to STOP eating them!!! So good! Thank you again for another successful meal!
Ps made your BLT recipe for my friends 88 th birthday today- she said “I don’t want this lunch to be over!” Friends if you haven’t tried How to cook bacon, and the best BLT recipe check them out. Always a hit with guests! And Chef Parisi- thank you thank you thank you!
Amazing!
Can you freeze them after the 1st fry?
I wouldn’t
These are so easy and yummy. Soaking and rinsing the potatoes and twice frying makes a huge difference. Then I like Mayo or truffle Mayo on my fries. I think it really brings out the potato flavor. ❤️
so good!!
If I am having a party and need to make a lot, what is the best way to prep? Can they soak for longer than 10 minutes? How long can they sit after the initial fry before I finish them in the second fry?
For sure, you can hold them over night. They will actually be cool to sit for a few hours before the second final fry.
What about an air fryer?
I don’t really mess with air fryer’s sorry.