Chili Cheese Fries - Comfort Food

I recently returned from a trip to Colorado.  

There we tried to visit one of my favorite restaurants in Minturn - the Turn Table. 

. I

It is the epitome of a greasy spoon diner, and a local's secret. Our favorite meals there are the gringo, and boos burritos.  One of my best friends and I used to stop in after snowshoeing, and she would ALWAYS get their chili cheese fries.  Yesterday, we played with homemade steak fries in my kitchen, and here's my rendition of chili cheese fries - inspired by the Turntable. 

This is a great meal when you want to spice up left over chili, need a warm comfort food, perfect for a cool fall or cold winter's night.

1 Recipe Chili (leftovers are great)

1 Recipe Steak Fries

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place desired quantity of fries on oven safe plate or dish.

Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Slide fries and melted cheese into bowl of hot chili.

Garnish with sour cream, chopped onions or chives, bacon as desired.  

Steak Fries

My daughter decided that she wanted some fries yesterday, and she set out to make some. She asked for a few pointers, and made herself some great fries with the cast iron pan on the stove. 

They looked so good, that I decided to do a bigger batch, but without the heat from the stove top. 

These fries come out crisp, and tasty, and can be made more quickly than it takes to bake the frozen ones from the grocery store.  

Ingredients

5-8 Russett potatoes - scrubbed

Oil for frying

Salt as desired

Dish lined with paper towels

I picked up this food chopper several months ago, on the advice of my sister in law. I found it at an outlet kitchen store for less than $20.00, and love that it has many interchangeable blades.  I also found a potato slicer at Walmart a couple of years ago, that similarly juliennes food (makes easy sticks) as well.  A kitchen knife and cutting board also do the same thing, but the result may not be quite as uniform.

Slice clean potatoes into 1/4x1/4" slices.  Leave peels on as desired. 

Soak potato sticks in ice water for 10-30 minutes. This helps make them crisper, and alleviates the 'rust' that potatoes get when in contact with air. 

After soaking,I tried gently drying the potatoes with a paper towel just prior to submerging in oil, but liked them best when they were submerged in oil, still wet from ice water. Be aware however, that this may cause oil to "pop" and may cause burns.

Using a fryer (if you have one) or a heavy skillet on the stove, heat 1.5 - 2 inches of oil to 350-400* F.  

A fry basket comes in pretty handily if you have one. 

Working in small batches, remove a handful of potato sticks from the ice water bath, and place into fry basket/or directly into pan, and submerge in hot oil. 

Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes - tossing gently as needed.  

Remove from oil, and salt immediately. 

Dump into paper towel lined bowl or pan, to allow oil to drain. 

Serve hot