I became obsessed with chips around 1992, before I had even opened the Fat Duck, and this was probably the first recipe that I could call my own. It has since cropped up in restaurants and pubs all over the place. Achieving the crisp, glass-like exterior depends on getting rid of moisture from the potato and creating little cracks in the surface where the oil will collect and harden, making it crunchy.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chips (approx. 2 × 2 × 6cm)

　　Groundnut or grapeseed oil

　　Sea salt

　　

Step 1

Place the cut chips into a bowl under running water for 5 minutes to wash the starch off.

　　

Step 2

Place 2kg cold tap water in a large saucepan and add the potatoes. Place the pan over a medium heat and simmer until the chips are almost falling apart (approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on the potato).

　　

Step 3

Carefully remove the cooked chips and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Then place in the freezer for at least 1 hour to remove more moisture.

　　

Step 4

Heat a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan no more than half filled with oil (to a depth of around 10cm) to 130°C. Fry the chips in small batches until a light crust forms (approximately 5 minutes), remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.

　　

Step 5

Put the potatoes on a cooling rack and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. (At this stage, if you don't want to cook and serve immediately, the chips can be kept in the fridge for 3 days.)

　　

Step 6

Heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer or deep pan to 180°C and fry the chips until golden (approximately 7 minutes). Drain and sprinkle with sea salt.

　　From Heston Blumenthal at Home by Heston Blumenthal. Text copyright © 2011 Cape Press Ltd.; written in cooperation with Pascal Cariss. Photography © 2011 Angela Moore. Reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury.