FEEDS 8 TO 10
When I was a kid, my parents took my brother, Willard, and me to the Santa Monica Pier, where I discovered a vendor who sold fresh potato chips and served them, still warm, in a brown paper bag. Crunchy and salty, they were cut a little bit thicker than a commercial chip. It was love at first bite. At Ford’s, we serve regular salted potato chips, truffled potato chips, and BBQ potato chips. Kennebec potatoes make the crispiest potato chips.
11/2 pounds Kennebec POTATOES or other large variety, such as russet, peeled or scrubbed
1 to 2 quarts VEGETABLE OIL, or as needed
KOSHER SALT or fine sea salt
1/4 cup TEXAS BBQ DRY RUB
Adjust a mandoline to 1/16 inch and place it over a large bowl of warm water. Slice the potatoes into the water. Let the potato slices soak for at least an hour and as long as overnight.
Drain the potato slices and blot them with paper towels to dry.
Pour enough oil to fill a large pot (such as a 6-quart stockpot) at least 4 inches deep, leaving at least 4 inches of room at the top. Clip a deep-fry thermometer to the side. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Add the potato slices to the oil, separating them before you drop them into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot. Fry the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, submerging them in the oil occasionally to keep the slices from sticking together, until they are crisp and golden. Using a wire fry strainer, transfer the chips to the paper towels to drain. While the chips are hot, season them with the salt and BBQ spice.
Allow the oil to return to 375°F and fry a second batch in the same way. Repeat until you have fried all of the potato slices, adding more oil to the pot if necessary and allowing it to heat to 375°F before adding the potatoes.