Belgian Fries in a Cone with Andalouse Sauce
The real Belgian fry: thick-cut potato, cooked twice to be soft inside and crispy outside, served in a cone with sauce. National institution, pride of the fritkot.
The real Belgian fry: thick-cut potato, cooked twice to be soft inside and crispy outside, served in a cone with sauce. National institution, pride of the fritkot.
Listen to me, because there are people who don't know: a fry is cooked twice. First time on low heat to cook it through, let it cool, and a second time very hot for the crunch. Beef fat, that's the real taste of the fritkot. In the evening, when my eyes sting from inking too long, I go down to the corner, get my cone with andalouse, and eat it standing in the cold. There's nothing more Brussels.
- •Potatoes (floury variety like Bintje) — as many as you like (base)
- •Beef fat (suet) — for frying (cooking fat, flavor)
- •Salt — at serving (seasoning)
Belgian Fries in a Cone with Andalouse Sauce
The real Belgian fry: thick-cut potato, cooked twice to be soft inside and crispy outside, served in a cone with sauce. National institution, pride of the fritkot.
Why this dish? When Adam closes the workshop in the evening, the Brussels ritual takes over: a stop at the local friterie. The cone of piping hot fries eaten standing on the sidewalk is the breather between two boards.
Listen to me, because there are people who don't know: a fry is cooked twice. First time on low heat to cook it through, let it cool, and a second time very hot for the crunch. Beef fat, that's the real taste of the fritkot. In the evening, when my eyes sting from inking too long, I go down to the corner, get my cone with andalouse, and eat it standing in the cold. There's nothing more Brussels.
Ingredients (period version)
- Potatoes (floury variety like Bintje) — as many as you like (base)
- Beef fat (suet) — for frying (cooking fat, flavor)
- Salt — at serving (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Bintje potatoes — 1 kg (base)
- Beef fat or peanut oil — for frying (cooking fat)
- Fine salt — at serving (seasoning)
- Mayonnaise — 4 tbsp (base for andalouse sauce)
- Tomato paste — 1 tbsp (andalouse sauce)
- Sweet bell pepper and a touch of chili — a little (andalouse sauce)
Method
- Peel and cut the potatoes into sticks about 1 cm thick, rinse and dry well.
- First fry: plunge the fries into fat at 150°C for about 6-8 minutes without coloring, drain and let cool.
- Second fry: raise the fat to 175-180°C and fry again for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Drain, salt immediately, and serve in a cone.
- For the andalouse sauce: mix mayonnaise, tomato paste, diced sweet pepper, and a touch of chili.
How it was made : The double fry in beef fat is the traditional method of the Belgian fritkot, established in the early 20th century. Belgian fries have been recognized as cultural heritage; andalouse sauce, despite its name, is a modern Belgian invention from the 20th century.
The contemporary twist : Note: the potato, bell pepper, and chili are New World products — this dish exists only because we are in the contemporary era. Serve the cone stuck in a clean pencil pot, a nod to the workshop.
Adam · Charactorium