Onion Rings and Fries Basket
Crisp battered onion rings and golden french fries fill one basket in this simple fried side, both cooked in the same pot of oil.
Frying the onion rings and fries in the same pot of oil, one after another, keeps the cleanup simple and lets both come out around the same time. Cutting the potatoes into even sticks and soaking them in cold water first pulls out extra starch so they crisp up properly. Pile both into one basket lined with paper so the oil drains as they cool slightly.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step doneCut the potatoes into even sticks and soak them in a bowl of cold water for at least 20 minutes.
Soak the onion rings in the buttermilk while the potatoes soak, so both are ready to fry around the same time.
In a shallow dish, stir the flour, cornstarch, black pepper and half of the kosher salt until evenly mixed for dredging.
Drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with a clean towel before frying, since wet potatoes will splatter in the oil.
Heat the oil in a large, deep pot to 325F and fry the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft but not browned, then drain.
Raise the oil temperature to 375F, dredge the buttermilk-soaked onion rings in the flour mixture, and fry them for 2 to 3 minutes until golden.
Drain the onion rings on a wire rack, then fry the par-cooked potatoes a second time for 2 to 3 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.
Combine the fries and onion rings in a paper-lined basket and sprinkle everything with the remaining kosher salt while hot.
Serve everything immediately, while both the fries and onion rings are still hot and at their very crispest texture.
Kitchen note
Frying the potatoes twice, once at a lower temperature to cook them through and again hotter to crisp the outside, makes a real difference in texture.
