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Saratoga Chips
Pare raw potatoes, slice thin, let soak in cold water fifteen minutes and then dry on soft towel, covering them with another so that they will not discolor. Let them remain until the water has been absorbed, then have ready a kettle of boiling lard, drop a handful of the potatoes into the lard, and fry until light brown, stirring often. Take up on soft brown paper in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and place in the oven to keep warm. Put in more potatoes, and continue until sufficient have been fried in the same way.
A clear, workable method for what we now call the potato chip. Only the fat and the temperature need translating.
- The hinge: dry potatoesWet slices drop the fat temperature and steam rather than crisp, and they spit violently. Blot each slice properly between towels before it goes near the kettle.
- Slice thickness"Thin" here means about 1/16 inch, roughly the thickness of a coin. A mandoline gives even slices, and evenness matters more than absolute thinness because thick slices in the same batch will still be limp when the rest are brown.
- Fat and temperatureLard fries beautifully and is still sold, but any fat with a high smoke point works. Bring it to 350-360F; the original's "boiling lard" is a visual cue, not a literal boil, since fat that is actually bubbling is scorching.
- Depth and quantityYou need enough fat that the slices float freely, about 3 inches in a heavy deep pan, and no more than a third to half full so it cannot boil over when the potatoes go in.
- "A handful" at a timeSmall batches are not fussiness. A large drop of cold potato pulls the fat below frying temperature and the chips absorb grease instead of crisping.
- TimingAt 350F thin slices take roughly 3-4 minutes. "Light brown" is the right stopping point; they darken a shade after coming out.
- Draining and holdingBrown paper is now a wire rack over a tray. Salt while still glistening so it sticks, and hold in a low oven, around 200F, uncovered, so trapped steam does not soften them.
- YieldThe original gives no quantity. Two pounds of potatoes will fill a large bowl and serve about six as a side or snack.