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QuickTime videoThis episode our London-based mate Phil shows us how to make real French fries - so real, in fact, they’re actually Belgian. And his wife Michelle, a genuine chef, chips in (pun for Anglo-Anzac readers) with a tasty and simple egg mayonnaise, plus the mussels that go into a traditional Belgian “moules and frites” feast.
Phil and Michelle know their way around Belgium and its cuisine. Phil is a particular specialist at locating obscure monasteries that run breweries on the side, where the monks only sell their beer to people who show up at the door, and only in bulk.
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The secret to the Belgian “frite”, Phil insists, is the twice-cooked sweating method. You give them a blast in the hot oil, let them sit for half an hour, then fry them again.
Phil reckons that the cooling-off period means the chip will be crisp on the outside but not overcooked in the middle. And judging by the results he’s on the money, although he wasn’t 100 per cent happy with the results.
Being an Australian, Phil speaks in degrees Celsius. His recommended temperature range of 180-190C translates to 356-374F.
Michelle’s mayonnaise is a simple recipe, but the secret is in the whisk work. Michelle explains that if you add too much oil or overwork the mixture of egg and olive oil it will “split” - you end up with scrambled egg floating in oil.
Her mussels are simply steamed in a Belgian ale after first frying some shallots in the pot.
Phil laid on a very interesting Belgian beer, Deus. It’s beer all right, but it’s matured as a champagne (in the Champagne region of France in fact) along the lines of a méthode champenoise sparkling wine.
You can see more of Phil and Michelle in episode two of our journey into the heart of banoffee piemaking.
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Looks like a great meal.
As for the fries — twice-cooked! True! I’ve had good results with that method.
Michelle’s a whiz, but my first hand-whisked mayonnaise attempt failed. I have better results with a small food processor. Of course, now that I’ve seen the video I should try again.
Overall, a fun episode! And some interesting camera angles in there…
you guys are great. Luv your podcast, watch each one.
ta.
Patrick Malone
Ohio, USA
Hey guys, love the podcast. I’ve missed a bunch due (the last one seen was the creme brulee episode) to moving, but I finally have them all downloaded and I am excited to watch them. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the show Good Eats, hosted by Alton Brown (my favorite show), but he does the twice cooked technique also. My first attempt to makes fries years ago was similar to your failures as well–just awful. I think restaurants par-cook them and then freeze them for later frying to achieve a similar effect. By the way, after your little advertisement for vegemite I was very curious to try it. I happened to stumble across it in somewhat of a farmers market (Reading Terminal Market) in downtown Philadelphia today, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. First impressions? Salty. I am going to give it a fairer try though because I put it on rye bread and I should probably try it on a more neutral tasting bread or cracker. Maybe it takes some getting used to, but then again, at $6.50 for a 4 oz jar, it might not be something I want to get used to…
Timothy Dietz
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Hey guys…I watch your show everytime its available..every one lol…Im 19 / Male and live in Melbourne Australia…probably didnt think i would ever watch a cooking show on my ipod lol but i love it…i watch it in bed and it makes me hungry everytime hahaha. I just want to say thanks for your efforts and i really enjoy watching…Keep it up.
OH …im not sure if you take requests…but im leaving home soon and would love to know an easy way to whip up a pizza without buying the base and tomato sauce…if u ever ran out of ideas or whatever id love to know!!…ta Johnx
…..hahah sorry guys…im hogging this page…i just went back and looked at your old recipes and saw that you already have one for this…i will have to go back and watch…sorry …embarrassing
Hi Jenny
Making your own mayo DOES sound daunting, so I tried it myself yesterday without the expert guidance of Chef Michelle. I used a big glass bowl and a whisk, popped in one egg yolk, half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, about a teaspoon of cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. I got out about 90ml of oil - half sunflower and half good-quality olive to make it taste a bit lighter. I started with just a FEW DROPS of sunflower oil, then kept adding it in a slow drizzle, whisking all the while. When it was all in, I started on the olive oil, continuing to whisk until it was thick and glossy. I squeezed in a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and it was perfect. It was really easy and, seriously, took about five minutes. The trick, I think, is to add that first teaspoon or two of oil really slowly while whisking. And it was easier than in the blender because a bowl is so much easier to wash up!
You should try it again.
Cheers
Lenny
Hi! Hello from Belgium
I have to say thank you for giving tips about making “French Fries”, actually in France these are cooked only once, though in Belgium they’re cooked twice, and they’re thicker and tastier 
Hum… Mayo is not my favourite, the best one is the cheese sauce (a cheese bechamel, sauce “mornay”, well well well) you should try it! Anyway I love your podcast, it’s very funny!
Hello from Longmont, CO U.S.A. Just wanted to say thank you for all the great podcasts.
real belgian frys are cooked in
horse fat
Hi from Belgium!
I watched this episode (more than the others) with much interest. Obviously not that I don’t know how to cook mussels and Belgian fries, but just to see whether what you did all made sense…
Tip for next time around when you make this:
- For the fries: Don’t put so many in the deepfryer at once!!! I never even expected them to turn out the way they did in the show. Just a bottom of two layers in the basket will even make them so much better!
- For the mayo: olive oil is just not the right taste for the real stuff. Also, it is harder to use than other types of oil. Best is to use corn oil, soy oil or sunflower oil. And my favorite with fries is a mixture of mayonaise and Belgian Pickles - and only 1 brand will do: Devos Lemmens!
Enjoy! I’ll keep on watching!
im looking for belgian french fry cones,if anyone that knows were i can buythem ( thank you JOHN
My grandmother always made belgian fries (friet) when we came to visit on sundays. Best fries ever. Here are some tips for the fries recipe
1. Best potato for making fries if you can get them is ‘bintje’.
2. Don’t wash in water when they’re sliced just use paper towels to dry them. This get’s rid of the excess starch which will prevent them from sticking. Starch will give your fries a nice brown color.
3. The first stage of cooking should be at 160° Celsius for about five minutes. Not the suggested 180° Celsius. That’s to hot. In this stage you’re just going to cook the potato not brown them.
4. After the first stage of cooking the fries should be drained of excess oil and placed on paper towels (spread out evenly).
Leave to cool completely for about 30 minutes.
Love the show. Great work