Patates tiganites with feta and roasted garlic oil

MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris: “Fries with feta. A customer in my restaurant told me she couldn’t believe I served something like that; apparently, she didn’t consider it a typical GC dish. I let everyone have their own opinion, but in the end it’s simply about food. And sometimes great food calls to be served simply. I stand by that.”

Make these delicious fries yourself; here’s how

• Wash the potatoes well and cut them into fries 1.5 cm thick.
• Put them in a pan, cover them with cold salted water and bring to the boil.
• Drain the fries when the water boils and place them on a rack over a baking tray to cool.
• Leave them uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
• Then it’s time to fry them: heat the oil in a deep fryer to 140 °C (or in a heavy-based pan; if a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds, the oil is at the right temperature).
• Add the fries and fry them for 3 minutes. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
• Then place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Roasting garlic

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Wrap the garlic cloves in aluminum foil and roast them until soft, for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Leave to cool, peel them and mash the flesh.
• Stir it into the olive oil and set aside. At the last moment, heat the frying oil to 180 °C (or in a heavy-based pan; if a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds, the oil is at the right temperature).
• Fry the fries in it for 4 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
• Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
• Sprinkle the fries with salt and toss them with the garlic oil, crumbled feta and oregano. Serve immediately.

Read also:

• IJs en Spijs named Ice Cream Parlour of the Year 2024
• Honestly: you’d better not eat this in Italy
• The ‘kroketiquette’: this is how you eat a kroket in a bread roll

Title: Greek from the kitchen of George Calombaris
Author: George Calombaris
Price: € 24,95
Publisher: Good Cook

Image: Earl Carter