So…howcome when I do up a batch of fish(like tonight, yum!) and try to fry up a batch of sliced potatoes they always seem to come out a little soggy. For the life of me I can’t seem to get them to crisp up. Thought it was oil temp, but frankly any higher than last time and I’ll have a flame-out.
So…what do you culinary artists out there recommend? Would also love to hear any variations to yours as well, what all you liven up your fish dinner with.
Thanks I’DOers! 
-Rev
Ok, so Google answered much of my question–but I should clarify, I’m looking for thicker cut slices, not really trying to make potato chips. Think potato wedges, only sliced instead of wedged? 
What do you got?
I have a problem with too much oil and not enough heat. About 375* works perfect for me, don’t overwhelm the pan for the amount of heat you have under it 
jerr
The basic concepts still apply. (Fries, wedges or hash browns) Cut and soak potatoes in water. Preferably overnight. 4-6 hours minimum imo. This removes starch that make potatoes soggy or chewy. Then either bake or deep fry in oil. Remove and cool. Then deep fry at a higher temp until golden brown and crisp. All frozen store bought or fast food joints get their fries cooked. They just flash cook to get them crispy.
-J.
Check the oil temp when you dump the potatoes in, I’m betting it drops quite a bit.
Cast iron skillet and plenty of oil has worked for me.
Al
Frying from a raw state is tough. I usually use leftover baked potatoes for such a thing. Or, if I really want fried, I nuke raw ones until they begin to soften, then, I cut and fry. Its a nice shortcut.
I soak them in salted water for a couple hours. Abt a tablespoon of salt in a gallon of water. Fry for a couple minutes, pull them out and fry the fish. Put the fries back in until you get the color u want. They’re not quite like restaurant fries, but not soggy either. I’ve also found that how they turn out depends a lot on the type of potatoes that u use.
X2 on Jon’s post. He pretty much nailed it. An easier way is to deep fry frozen. They are pre-soaked, blanched and flash frozen. Most restaurants use frozen.
I think the problem lies in how you are cooking them, once. French fries are double fried, once to cook the potato, and a second time to crisp the outside, generally speaking you cook then until they are soft on the inside, them pull them give them a couple minutes to rest and the again in the fryer until golden. Like mentioned above, you can use already cooked potatoes somewhat similar.
So if I pan fry potatoes, first I cook them lightly with a lid on till tender(maybe adding a tablespoon of water for steam) the the I turn the heat up and brown them, again once the potato is tender and cooked.
Store bought fries are normally already cooked/fried once before packaged, which is way the turn out nice and easy.
Homeade fries I do like JJ, cut the night before, soak in water(dash, of white vinegar) maybe change it a time or two before letting it sit overnight, and then I double fry them for perfection.
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X2 on Jon’s post. He pretty much nailed it. An easier way is to deep fry frozen. They are pre-soaked, blanched and flash frozen. Most restaurants use frozen.
Yeah-it was the soak that was missing. Kind of a “duh!” moment for me…once I googled it, I felt the urge to slap my forehead and say that–makes so much sense, feel a little silly for not thinking of it!
Thanks everybody!
So…presumably the same concept would apply to a thicker cut potato? Thinking 1/4″ or so, as a seasoned fried potato rather than chip-style potato. Ok, maybe not quite so crispy but still not soggy and crisper around the edges.
I start the oil at 400 and fry mine until I know they are cooked, and then pull them out and let the oil get right back up to 380-400 and drop them back in. Takes 3 or 4 minutes to crisp them up.
Doesn’t really matter how you do it, but cooking a potato twice, the first time to cook the inside of the potato, the second is for a uniform crisp, otherwise the outside overcookeds as you try and crisp it, and you end up taking them out before the center has fully cooked, because you’re burning to outside.
Similar reason they say to take your meat/steak out of the fridge before grilling, and warm it to room temperature, otherwise you are much more likely to char the outside and still under cook the steak.
when I do the spuds it takes an hour, just for the spuds 
In Butter
Yukon Golds work best.
Cut them all same size, shapes dont matter.
Avoid massive temp swings with small batches/themometer.
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Frying from a raw state is tough. I usually use leftover baked potatoes for such a thing. Or, if I really want fried, I nuke raw ones until they begin to soften, then, I cut and fry. Its a nice shortcut.
X2
Here was my reply to your question. I made these a couple of times for our local club and the were a great hit the first year, so I did them again last year. 
Got kudos again. 
http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/1161859/fpart/1/denny-os-handcut-french-fries
1st option, use baked. 2nd option, nuke em til there baked; let cool;
ottertail’s on the chew…fried tatter’s an an eyes tonight! all u can eat! love august.
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X2 on Jon’s post. He pretty much nailed it. An easier way is to deep fry frozen. They are pre-soaked, blanched and flash frozen. Most restaurants use frozen.
X3… Good fries are always destarched, blanched first in lesser heat, then the hot 400 tank… 
Well some times its not the oil or the heat ,we had a pan once that we got rid of it just would not fry potaoes worth a darn, try a different pan! good luck
Alot of times it is the pan. We use eighter a cast iorn or a deep aluminum pan for ours. We slice ours and leave the skins on and get the oil pretty hot so they start cooking as soon as they hit the hot oil. I put a lid on mine and set at medium high heat and let them cook evenly over that temp. I then take the lid off and let fry so the excess moisture will escape, by then thier cooked and then its just a fry so they get crisp. I cut to about 1/4 too 3/8ths thick. I really like the ones that are soft in the middle and crisp on the outside where some of them are stuck together, good stuff! With some good fried fish both are hard to beat, plus a little cole slaw mm mm mmm.
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