French fries with bacon on ‘em? Yes please! And a bacon aioli dip to go with them? Oh HELLS yes!
Bacon Pomme Frites
2-3 large Russett Potatoes
2-3 quarts oil for frying
Bacon salt (recipe follows)
Grano Padano cheese
Wash the potatoes and cut them into fries either by hand or using a mandolin.
Heat the oil to 350°. Blanch the fires for 3-5 minutes, then pull out and let cool. They won’t be cooked all the way through, and thats okay. Just before serving, place them in the oil again for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Toss with Bacon salt immediately, top with the cheese, and serve.
Bacon salt
1 pound thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Cook the bacon (see my post on How To Cook Bacon) until VERY crispy and slightly over done. Bacon should be dark brown and very brittle. Rest the bacon overnight at room temperature on a plate layered with 6-10 layers of paper towels. The goal is to get the bacon completely dry and mostly grease free.
Put the bacon in a food processor with the salt, pulse until the bacon is pulverized and incorporated with the salt. Keep it in the fridge until you need it. You should run out long before it goes bad, but if you’re a bacon wuss, it’ll keep for at least 3-4 weeks.
Bacon Aioli
1 egg
6 yolks
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2-3 strips cooked thick-cut bacon, crumbled
1 cup reserved bacon grease
2-3 cups canola or peanut oil
juice from 1 lemon
While the reserved bacon fat is still warm and liquid, incorporate the oil. This will keep the bacon grease liquid. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender or food processor mix the yolks and dry mustard until just incorporated. With the blender or food processor set on medium speed, slowly drizzle the oil until the mixture is thick and creamy. More oil will give you a thicker aioli, less will leave it runny. Make it how you like. Take the whole mixture out of the blender and gently fold in the crumbled bacon. It’ll keep for a few weeks in the fridge.
