From Ruth Van Waerebeek’s “Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.” Labor intensive, somewhat messy and time-consuming to make, but people rave about these. Golden brown and crunchy on the outside, then mashed potato heaven inside. I’ve done what Ruth recommends: make the croquettes the day before, and just do the deep frying at dinner time.
From Juliette Elkon’s A Belgian Cookbook. Posted for ZWT 7. Don’t worry about the alcohol used to prepare this dish, it will have burned off during the cooking. The cooking time includes the 1 hour marinating time.
The real deal , that takes a bit of effort , but is worth the trouble! You’ll never have them any other way again. Also called “pommes frites” , “frieten” , “patat”
From Ruth Van Waerebeek’s “Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.” There are other good frites recipes on Recipezaar; I’m including Ruth’s for the sake of personal closure — I can’t NOT include her frites in my collection of her traditional Belgian recipes. What makes Ruth’s unique is her call for older, starchy potatoes. As she says: “Never make fries with new potatoes…. It is imperative to use a starchy older potato for making real Belgian fries…. All your efforts will be in vain as the young potatoes have not had time to develop sufficient starch.” She adds: “The size of the fries is a very personal matter. Experiment to find the size you like best.” Adjust the frying time according to the thickness you prefer.
I adore Moules Frites – for me it is quintessential French and Belgian Bistro food at its best – plus I love tactile eating! You can treat yourself to Moules Frites anywhere in France and Belgium, and for most of the year. I often make the “Moules” part at home – Moules Marinière – but now and then, for a treat I also do the “Frites” bit as well……chips or French fries! Serve these with lots of paper towels or napkins, and a glass of chilled white wine would be the perfect accompaniment! I bought special Moules Frites dishes, as shown in the photos, but a couple of bowls would be fine – and don’t forget a large bowl for the shells. If you really want to be 100% authentic, it is de rigueur to serve the frites with mayonnaise my dear…..sinfully good! Vive la France! Historical Note: Did you know that French Fries are really Belgian? Deep-fried chipped potatoes (“fries” in American English; “chips” in British English) are a very popular food item – and one which the Belgians claim to have invented. They are called frieten in Dutch and frites in French, whatever the name, they are my guilty pleasure!
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