Frites are not usually a memorable dish. Although a restaurant’s ability to fry slivered potatoes is a surprisingly dependable metric of its overall quality, the dishes that leave the deepest imprint on a diner’s mind are usually bigger and bolder. But the frites at Cafe Presse are, for me, an all-time favorite, in part because they are associated with certain memories, but also because they are stupefyingly delicious.
Try as I might—even during one of my occasional flirtations with healthy eating—I cannot not order them. They walk the razor’s edge between external crispiness and internal tenderness with a remarkably consistent grace.
What makes them magical? According to Jim Drohman, Presse’s owner and chef, it’s because of simplicity, not sorcery. The frites at Presse are made with good Washington russet potatoes, blanched in peanut oil at 325 degrees, and then cooled on sheet pans in the walk-in fridge. Proper cooling, he says, is key. Before going back in the fryer for finishing, they must be thermally perfect…