Saratoga Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare and slice the potatoes very thin using a potato slicer.
Soak the slices in strong alum water for 1-2 hours.
Fry and serve
Wipe the slices dry and fry them in hot lard until light brown, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt while hot.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the starchy body of the chips, which crisp and brown when fried.
- Alum water
- Firms the potato slices so they stay crisp and hold their shape in hot fat.
- Lard
- Frying fat that conducts heat and gives the slices browning and a rich flavor.
The step that matters
Wiping the slices dry before frying. Surface water cools the hot lard and turns frying into steaming, so the slices absorb more fat and crisp less. Thorough drying lets the oil stay hot and the slices brown evenly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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