Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Pommes Frites

*
What goes better with a steak sandwich than pommes frites? You may be wondering, what in the world are pommes frites? Hmmm, how can I explain, ok,ok they are just french fries in a paper cone with gourmet dipping sauces! Man are they good though!
I made mine a little bit healthier by baking them with olive oil and serving with a lemony thyme and tarragon creme fraiche.
If you really want to clog your arteries you could fry them in duck fat! Yum!
*
Pommes Frites with Tarragon-Thyme Creme Fraiche
*
5 medium russet potatoes
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 80z. container creme fraiche ( you can find this in your deli or cheese counter)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh thyme chopped finely
1 tsp. fresh tarragon chopped finely
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and wash potatoes. Cut in half lengthwise, cut each half into 4 pieces lengthwise. Cut each of the 4 pieces in half length wise ( you should now have pieces that resemble french fries). Toss fries with olive oil, arrange on baking sheet with a sil pat or parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until undersides are golden brown and crispy.
Combine creme fraiche ( creme fraiche is a lemony european version of sour cream) lemon juice, thyme and tarragon. Spoon in serving bowl, serve beside pommes frites.
Pair with a great red wine and enjoy!!!

15 comments:

Chef E said...

I vote for french fries!

Sarah said...

My husband would agree, but it's fun to mix things up every once in awhile! :)

Kimberly said...

I saw a whole thing on the Food Network about these...Im so excited to see them here too!!

Jamie said...

Yum Pommes Frites! Delicious in any language! And this dipping sauce sounds divine.

Donna-FFW said...

LOVE your idea and with a sauce to dip it in.. awesome.. love fries but I am up for a change as yummy as this!!

Sarah said...

Thanks for all the sweet comments, but particularly jamie, I realized after reading your comment that I spelled pommes without a S thanks!!! I hate when things are spelled incorrectly!

Sippity Sup said...

These are a great companion to your steak. I love the idea of duck fat fries and may experiment with that. I often use a little beef tallow (which is rendered beef fat). It is by far the best way to make fries. In fact, when people used to say they loved McDonalds fries it was because they were fried in tallow. I am sorry they quit doing that sometime about 1990. I think a moderate amount of saturated fat is very healthy in most diets. It's the poly-unsaturated fats like trans-fats that are the evil little buggers. It's a shame McDonalds switched. Now their fries are nothing but poison in my opinion. GREG

Joie de vivre said...

Pommes frites are just skinny french fries! Where would one find that much duck fat if one really wanted to go all out? Is that how they do them up in France?

Tangled Noodle said...

I'd love to try them cooked in duck fat but olive oil is perfectly fine by me! I love the accompanying creme fraiche.

Mindy said...

I was about to start searching for an oven fry recipe to go with a dinner this weekend, and look what popped up in my RSS feed! And I happen to have a little creme fraiche leftover from a dinner earlier this week...score!

Sarah said...

To all of the commentors who asked about duck fat, you can purchase it online or if you live in a large city you may be able to get it at a specialty food store.
www.dartagnan.com search under duck fat $3.99 7oz., most recipes call for 3-4 cups. It's not cheap, but you can use it again if stored properly. As for the how to of frying in duck fat.
www.epicurious.com search under duck fat fries. It's similar to frying with peanut oil.

Reeni said...

How delicious! The dipping sauce sounds sublime.

Sara said...

I love your presentation! Lately I've been making a spicy ketchup for my fries.

Chef E said...

I could get all the duck fat I wanted when I worked at an old tavern here in town three years ago...I was in charge of making the duck confit and hated having to reach in that mess to pull out the duck for our charcuterie plate...but hubby loves it when I render it at home...I still vote for the old fashion french fry...there is a video from the 50's I have to send you, an old info-mercial for kitchen tools that would make old fashion crinkle cut fries, too funny...

Lori said...

I often hear about the wonders of frites cooked in duck fat. I've never had the opportunity to try them, but will take advantage if it arises. Mmmm. I have been craving fries like crazy and I bet these would be even better than what I have in mind!