Spud secrets: Top tips for top chips

Forget Valentine's Day. If the way to someone's heart really is through their stomach, then the British are pretty easy. Let me explain.

"Chips account for 74 per cent of all potato servings out of the home and have enjoyed a 3.4 per cent growth year on year," says Kate Cox from the Potato Council, the body which represents the potato industry.

"As one of the nation's favourite foods, chips are integral to the great British menu."

That they are. Chips may be simple fare, but they're bloody tasty and customers love them. Get this menu staple right, and you can put your pub on the map from this alone. People don't forget a good chip in a hurry.

And don't make the mistake of being snobby about this lowly food either. Newspapers and magazines including The Times, The Guardian, and Time Out regularly produce guides to the best chips in the UK.

But how do you make yours stand out? With National Chip Week (www.lovechips.co.uk​) looming (February 21-27) now seemed like a good time to find out.

We tracked down four pubs famous for their hearty fries, and asked them to reveal the secret to creating the perfect fried spud. And how dare you say chips are unromantic.

Spud Secret #1: Keep the skins on

Licensees Ellie and Chris Rossetto of the Fleur de Lys in Widdington, Essex, describe their pub food as being "between your classic ham, egg and chips, and a gastropub. It's honest, good food, with a twist".

Their triple-fried, skin-on chips have been described by one Times journalist as the best they'd ever tasted. So what's their secret?

"There's a science to a good chip," says Chris. "You turn the starch into sugar. We cook ours once at a low temperature for 15 minutes. Let them cool. Then we cook them at a higher temperature for five minutes, cool them and then cook them a third time at 180°C to make the outsides crispy but keep the insides fluffy."

And why keep the skin on? "For one, that's the healthy bit," he says, "and secondly it's a lot cheaper. You can spend £8 on labour just for one staff member to peel 9lb of spuds. Plus the customers like it.

"It's a time-consuming way of cooking them, but by God do you notice the difference. It's easy to forget that people don't do fries at home, so it's a bloody pleasurable treat to eat fried chips."

Spud Secret #2: Use beef dripping

The Dog and Bull in Whitchurch, Shropshire is owned by Max and Suzanne Baker but has former QE2 head chef Fergus MacKay at the helm in the kitchen. And he's a stickler for "proper chips", says Max. "People comment on the fact that our chips are lovingly made," he says.

The great food has helped the pub break free from a bad reputation it had before the couple took it on three years ago. "It's funny, people will travel for miles for good chips," Max says. The beef fat, he says, gives them a depth of flavour.

Sous chef Gavin Toft says the secret is to blanch the potatoes in the fat at 120°C until soft, let them cool, and then heat the oil to 180°C so they'll crisp instantly. Maris Pipers work best. "We've tried a few different measures but this is by far the best. You get fluffy centres and they're crisp outside," adds Max. And at £2.95 for a portion, they generate 84 per cent profit.

Spud Secret #3: Use big potatoes

Poor Chris Bury, junior sous chef at the Woolpack Inn, Totford, Hampshire. The pub already has an AA Rosette to its name, having only been open for two years. He and the other kitchen staff peel seven 25kg sacks of Maris Piper potatoes a week to cope with the demand for chips. The secret is to use big potatoes and cut big wedges. Each portion consists of around eight or nine chips.

"We blanch once at 150°C for about 10 minutes, then refry at 190°C," says Chris. "We use normal vegetable oil as it can reach a higher temperature than other fats and oils."

They also make their own ketchup which uses a blend of Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and cinnamon. And for garlic chips, the garlic is slow-cooked in oil for an hour, rosemary is added to the oil, the garlic is mashed to a puree and poured over freshly cooked chips.

Shout about it

Fifty free Chip Week Support Kits are up for grabs to Publican readers, courtesy of the Potato Council, which represents the potato industry. Each contains promotional posters, flyers and badges, to help drum-up sales. They're available on a first come, first served basis. Call 01844 217924 or email avpbyn@sfqvfgevohgvba.pb.hx​.

Also why not back the search for Britain's 'Chip Factor'? The Potato Council has incorporated two of the nation's favourite past times; eating chips and singing, in a competition for consumers to record a chip-themed song and upload footage to www.lovechips.co.uk.

Cox says: "There is no reason why pubs can't hold a dedicated 'Chip Karaoke' event.

"Our kit includes a Chip Factor vinyl floor sticker while lyrics can also be downloaded from the website for pubs to use.

"The popular 'Chip Quiz' is also still available for theme nights, as are a host of National Chip Week facts and serving suggestions on the website."

Dan Ingram: Why good chips are important

"At the Red Lion in Cricklade we take our chips very seriously indeed. My first real lesson in how to cook the perfect chip came from none other than Michelin-starred chef Dominic Chapman (of the Royal Oak, Paley Street, Berkshire) while I was working at Heston Blumenthal's pub the Hinds Head.

"We had it drummed into us that the chips had to be perfect. Heston once said to us all: 'We've GOT to get the chips right! If we can't do that, how can we expect to get anything else right?'

"This message has stuck with me and we have the same attitude at the Red Lion. Chips are almost a fundamental to any good food pub. We serve our triple-cooked chips with our steaks, burgers, beer-battered fish, and ham and egg. The list goes on and on. It's not rare for customers to ask to change the garlic mashed potatoes on our haunch of venison dish, or the new potatoes on the fish dish to chips. They have become a real talking point with all our customers. I'm sure the fact we take such pride in them sets the tone about the rest of the food we cook, and that people will remember them as a point of distinction from other good food pubs."

How to cook the perfect chip

Our triple-cooked Maris Piper chips can be split into three main stages:

1. Boil: Peel and cut your potatoes into nice sized chunky chips, (about 8x2x2cm). Make sure they're a uniform size so they cook evenly. Place them in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring slowly to the boil stirring every few minutes. Reduce the heat to just below a simmer or turn off completely for five to 10 minutes. We are aiming for a soft fluffy mashed potato inside so we need to make sure they cook all the way through, which takes time.

Continue to stir from time to time then return to the heat for a further two to three minutes or until a good percentage have started to break up. The broken edges will give you a great crisp texture when fried. Carefully lift the chips from the pan and lay them out on a steamer tray to drain or just a large flat tray to get them cool and stop them cooking. We put them in the walk-in fridge at this stage. The timings vary due to potato variety and season.  

2. Blanch in oil: Pre-heat your fryer to 145°C. Pick through your chips and discard any mashed potato. Place your chips carefully in the fryer basket and blanch for seven minutes. Then place them in a tray and chill, ready for service.

3. Fry: Turn your fryers up as high as they go ready for service - ours go to 190°C. Put a portion or two in the basket and fry until a nice dark golden brown. They should have a real crunch but with a soft fluffy centre. Season and serve.