The old fast-food chain fries will never taste the same again once you try these perfect homemade Pommes frites. Pommes frites is a French term that translates to fried potatoes. To break it down, even more, they are simply French fries. The most interesting thing is that the Belgians are the creators and founders of Pommes frites, which literally makes no sense. They are said to be founded from soldiers in WWI who thought they were in France because everyone was speaking French and when the folks from Belgium were serving them up, they were considered French Fries. Weird, I know. Classically Pommes frites would be fried in something called tallow, which is rendered beef or mutton fat. Good luck getting enough of that to make some Pommes frites. I also make truffle parmesan fries and garlic chives pommes frites! Ingredients for this recipe: • 4-6 russet potatoes, cut into French fry sizes • oil for frying • salt Serves 6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 9 minutes Procedures: 1. Preheat some oil in a deep fryer or a pot to 300°. 2. Add the prepared potatoes to a large container filled with cold water. 3. Submerge the cut potatoes in the water and let them stand for about 10 minutes. 4. Next, move the potatoes around in the water with your hand to get off some starch, and then strain them in a colander and rinse them well with cold water for 3 to 4 minutes. 5. Let the potatoes drain off any excess water for an additional 2-4 minutes. 6. Add a few handfuls of the cut potatoes to the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes. Move them around after 90 seconds. You may need to do this in batches. 7. Remove the fries from the oil and keep them in the fryer basket or place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. 8. Turn the oil up to 350°. 9. Add a few handfuls of the pre-fried potatoes to the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until crispy and browned on the edges. You can cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up and brown more. 10. Drain the potatoes in the basket for no longer than a minute and then transfer them to a bowl and toss with salt. Serve immediately. Chef Notes: Make-Ahead: These are meant to eat right away. You could keep them warm in the oven on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 175° for 10-20 minutes before serving. How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Once they are cooked, they will not freeze that well. How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pommes frites to a cooked sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 3-6 minutes or until hot and crispy. You can re-fry in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. You can substitute for Yukon gold potatoes. Feel free to cut them thinner or thicker to your liking. Cook the fries for 1 to 2 minutes longer if you like them to be crisper and more browned. These would go incredible with aioli or comeback sauce. Pommes frites are classically fried in rendered beef fat, which can be hard to come by. For French fries, I prefer to fry them in vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. Feel free to use whichever oil you’d like.