Pommes Frites au Canard

I know, I know, I could just say, "French fries in duck fat," but it sounds so much better in French!

First I cut 3.5 Russet potatoes into strips for french fries, about 1/3" to a side.  The other half a potato was sliced for potato chips, as the 9 year old doesn't eat french fries.  The potatoes were soaked in cold water with a little vinegar for a while and then dried.  I heated up 4 pints of duck fat to 325 degrees and fried the potato chips first, since they could be cold by dinnertime.  Some were crispy, some not.  I think I cut them too thickly with the mandolin.  I could use a thinner setting next time.

After that, I fried the french fries in batches, with the fat at 350 degrees.  I think my batches were too big, as the temperature dropped about 100 degrees and took a while to come back up closer to 350.  They took about 7 minutes or so to cook.  Once they were drained I salted them and kept them warm in the oven until dinner.  As with the chips, some were soggy.  Next time I will use smaller batches and cook them closer to dinnertime.  (They only had a few minutes to wait, but it seemed to be enough.)  They tasted awesome, however, so that part was totally worth it.

I was able to reclaim 3 pints of the duck fat which I can use again for frying.  Next time, I'll try chicken.