The best chips

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into long,
thin fingers (about 1cm thick). Place the
fingers in cold water to prevent them from
discolouring or sticking together.

2. Pour the oil into a deep saucepan and heat
it to 150°C. (You can also test the oil by adding
a potato slice: if it sinks, the oil is not hot
enough.) Remove the slices from the water,
place on a clean cloth and dry them as much
as possible. Place half the quantity of slices in
the oil and fry them for 5 minutes or until soft
? they shouldn’t change colour. Remove the
chips with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen
towel and fry the other half. Set the chips aside
until you are ready to fry them for a second
time before serving.

3. Prepare the aïoli: Peel the garlic cloves and
crush them with about 2,5ml salt to form a
smooth paste. Add this garlic paste and the
egg yolks to a food processor or mixing bowl.
Initially you should add the oil slowly ? literally
drop by drop ? while beating continuously.
Once the sauce begins to thicken you can start
adding the oil in a thin, steady stream. Once
all the oil has been added, you should have a
thick mayonnaise that forms stiff peaks.

4. Heat the oil to 185°C. Again add only half
the slices and fry them for 5 minutes or until
they begin to change colour and turn crisp.
Occasionally stir the chips through the oil to
ensure an even colour. Repeat with the second
batch. Drain the chips quickly on kitchen
towel, season with salt and serve with the aïoli.