French fried yellow fleshed potatoes

Cut the potatoes into even batons, rinse off surface starch and dry them very thoroughly. Toss with a little oil, spread in one layer and bake at 220 °C for about 30–40 minutes, turning once, until browned and crisp.

For thick, crisp chips, fry the batons first at 150 °C for 5–7 minutes until soft but pale; drain, then fry at 190 °C for 2–3 minutes until golden. Fry in small batches so the oil temperature does not plunge.

Soaking cut potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes removes some surface starch and helps them fry more evenly. Drain and dry them completely before they go into hot oil; water makes oil spit.

Yes. Put them in the basket in a loose layer and cook at 200 °C for about 15–20 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice. Cook straight from frozen; thawing can make them limp.

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours and eat them within three days. Re-crisp them in a single layer in a 200 °C oven or air fryer; microwaving makes them soft.

In British English, chips are the thicker-cut version, while French fries are usually thinner and crisper. Both are fried potato batons, and the name ‘French fries’ does not mean they must come from France.

The usual straight-cut fries are cut from whole potatoes. Uniform, shaped fries can instead be made from mashed or finely processed potato, pressed into shape and fried.

Roasted yellow-fleshed potatoes provide 119 kcal per 100 g, compared with 162 kcal per 100 g for these fries. The extra oil used for frying makes the fries more energy-dense.