FRANKIE’S FAVRITES

My sister Frankie!  Everyone adored her!  She could light up a room simply by walking into it.  She was the life of every party.  And she had the biggest heart of anyone you ever knew. 

My oldest sister was twenty years older than me and many people thought she was my mother.  That was to my advantage because Frankie was just like having a second mother around.  I spent many weekend nights at her house watching TV and when I was little I absolutely LOVED going to work with her at the Cincinnati Post Times Star newspaper.  She’d put her head phone on me and let me play there all day.  She took the classified ads over the phone and everyone in her office made over me. 

When Frankie became unexplainably ill in 1985 at the age of 48, it seemed impossible that within a few short months she was in a wheelchair unable to walk or talk very much.  But she retained her beautiful smile and she let us know every day that she loved us.

The world seems a much lonelier place now that Frankie is gone.  A huge part of all our lives was taken with her.  She is missed and loved each and every day.

For anyone who remembers Frankie, the first thing they remember is her favorite food.  FRENCH FRIES!   They weren’t just her favorite, they were the only meal she ate.  Seriously!  She ate a few other things … bananas, strawberries, cinnamon toast, chips, Fritos, jam on bread and her famous Christmas candies.  But no meat.  NONE.  Not since she was a child.  I remember once her husband said he would give her $500 if she would eat a Big Boy (a double decker hamburger).  She got up, started peeling some potatoes and that was that.  Needless to say, he never made that same offer to me!  LOL!

But here is the recipe for French Fries, Frankie’s way.  Hand cut, dark, fried in oil and salted.  Sounds easy, but there is an art to the perfect French Fries.

Homemade Hand-Cut French Fries

2 large Russet potatoes
24oz Canola or peanut oil
Salt and Pepper

Heat oil in cast iron pan, with thermometer in oil to make sure temperature reaches 305 degrees.

As oil heats, clean your potatoes and cut them into long strips of approximately the same size. Place sliced potatoes in a bowl of water to keep them from turning brown.

Remove potato slices from water and pat dry on paper towels, place enough slices in oil to have one layer covering the surface of the oil.

Allow slices to blanch, cooking until they turn from a shiny color to a more matte appearance. This is typically about the time the temperature starts rising in the oil again. Remove from oil with tongs and place in a pan lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

After blanching all potato slices, increase the temperature of the oil to between 350-375 degrees.

Repeat process of layering potato slices in the oil, this time cooking them until they turn a golden color. Cook longer for fries that are more crisp.

Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil, season with salt while still hot