Authentic Greek Olive Oil Fries
These Authentic Greek Olive Oil Fries are nothing like you get at fast food joints. Experience a dish reminiscent of ordering from a beautiful tavern in Greece. Golden and crispy on the outside, soft, and lush on the inside. A quick and perfect additive to enhance your favorite meals. This recipe works beautifully with our Kalamata EVOO!
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium potatoes
- ½ cup Kalamata EVOO or more
- Salt
- Oregano optional
- Feta optional
- Lemon optional
Instructions
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Peel the potatoes and cut in long pieces, don’t try to make them perfectly shaped. Soak them in a bowl of water for at least an hour. Drain and place them in a bowl, salt them and mix them with your hands so that all pieces are covered.
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In a pot or pan that has enough space for the potatoes in one layer, add some olive oil, about an inch high.
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Heat the olive oil on medium heat, once the oil starts making sizzling noises (I measured a temperature of about 330 F) you add the potatoes. Fry the potatoes at this temperature for about 5 minutes. Stir gently a few times so that the potatoes do not stick. After that, lower the heat and continue frying for another 5 minutes and then raise the heat slightly and fry for 2-3 minutes more until you have a golden color.
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Place a plate with paper towels and remove the fries with a slotted spoon and place them on the napkins. Place another napkin on top to absorb any oil.
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Serve on a plate, and sprinkle dry oregano and a bit of salt if needed.
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You may accompany with feta cheese and lemon.
Tips
- Make sure you soak the potatoes in water for at least an hour. It removes some of the starch and helps them become crunchier.
- Don’t cut them too thin, otherwise you won’t get the softness inside. And don’t try to make them perfectly shaped, the beauty of patates tiganites is also their uneven shape.
- Make sure the olive oil is hot enough, otherwise they will absorb a lot of olive oil and become soggy. There are a lot of techniques out there and while I know my yiayia was not measuring the temperature of the oil, here is what I measured. In the beginning, the olive oil was heated to about 330-350 F.
- Make sure the potatoes are all in one layer and the olive oil used barely covers them, about an inch high.
- Serve immediately. Nobody likes cold fries.