How to Make French Fries Like Anthony Bourdain did at 'Les Halles'

The legendary Anthony Bourdain spent years serving some of the best no-nonsense French brasserie food at Les Halles in New York, including their famous French fries.

"We're famous for our French fries at Les Halles. Many have said that we make the best fries in New York. Naturally, I agree," Bourdain wrote in his first collection of recipes, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking.

Brasserie Les Halles has since closed down, but will be honouring the late Anthony Bourdain by re-opening with a special menu for one weekend only, from Friday 9 July, to Sunday 11 July, with a selection of Bourdain's favourite dishes taking centre stage, like their destination 'steak frites'.

With that in mind, it's a fitting moment to learn how to make Anthony Bourdain's legendary fries from Les Halles, and honour one of the culinary great's most accessible dishes.

The fries are made by blanching and double frying. Take a look at a similar technique to the one Bourdain uses in the clip below and see how to make Bourdain's French fries in the recipe underneath.

How to Make Bourdain's French Fries from Les Halles:

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes: Idaho
• 2.25 litres peanut oil
• salt
   

Method

1. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/2 inch sticks and place in a bowl of iced water for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight. Rinse to remove the starch. 

2. Deep fry potatoes in batches at 280°F/140°C for 6-8 minutes until semi-translucent white. Remove from oil, spread evenly on a baking sheet and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

3. Deep fry the blanched potatoes in batches in oil at 375°F/190°C for 2 to 3 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Remove and shake off excess oil.

4. While still piping hot drop the fries into a large bowl lined with a clean dry towel and add salt to taste.  Remove the towel and toss the fries around in the bowl, serve while still hot.

Roadrunner, a documentary film about the life of Anthony Bourdain directed by Morgan Neville, launches on 16 July, promising an “intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon". Take a look at the trailer: