What Are Deep-Fried Potatoes?

Deep-fried potatoes are made by frying sliced potatoes in hot oil. The potatoes are often coated in flour, spices, eggs, salt, and pepper before frying. They can be served plain, but it is common to eat the fried potatoes with ranch dressing, sour cream, ketchup, or some other type of sauce. They are frequently eaten as a side dish to fried fish, sandwiches, grilled meats, hamburgers, and scrambled eggs.

After washing and peeling the whole potatoes, the cook cuts them into cubes, wedges, or long slices. The sliced potatoes are then dipped into a mixture of beaten eggs, spices, seasoning, and flour. If preferred, the potatoes can also be left plain. Using a deep fryer, the potatoes are fried in oil for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown in color. Once cooled, the fried potatoes can also be tossed in a mixture of melted butter and spices.

The spices and seasonings used on the potatoes usually consist of ingredients such as celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme, and chili powder. While it is more common to use vegetable oil to fry the potatoes, peanut oil, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, and soybean oil can also be used. After the potatoes are fried in oil, it is common to lay them on a paper towel to drain the excess grease before serving.

While they can be eaten alone, it is standard practice to serve deep-fried potatoes with dipping sauces such as ketchup, dressing, barbecue sauce, and sour cream. Melted cheese, pieces of bacon, and hot sauce can also be added to the potatoes. Deep-fried potatoes also make a good accompaniment to hamburgers, sandwiches, fish, and grilled meats. Much like hash browns, deep-fried potatoes can also be eaten with breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, omelets, and toast.

In general, deep-fried potatoes are high in fat, calories, and sodium. It is often healthier to fry the potatoes in canola oil, as this type of oil contains healthier fats than many other types of cooking oils, such as vegetable oil. Olive oil also has a lower fat content than vegetable oil, but may not be as easy to fry with. To lower sodium intake, the potatoes can be prepared using only a minimal amount of salt. Much of the caloric and fat intake is due to the dipping sauces served with the potatoes, such as ranch dressing and sour cream; ketchup and barbecue sauce are low-fat sauce options.