Potatoes For Tuscan Fries

Our answer

Nigella's Tuscan Fries (from NIGELLISSIMA) has a slightly unusual method in that the chipped potatoes are started off in cold oil. As the oil heats up it cooks the potatoes through and then turns them golden brown and the resulting fries come out crisp and ungreasy. The recipe suggests using Maris Piper type potatoes in the UK or Yukon Gold in the US. The recipe has been tested several times with Maris Piper potatoes.

Maris Piper potatoes are described as an "all-rounder" type of potato so they can be used for many dishes. They are usually easy to find and are the most popular main crop variety in the UK. They are good for this recipe as they will cook through and become soft inside without disintegrating. A typically floury/mealy potato, such as King Edward (or in the US Russet potato), is more likely to break up in the cooking process, so overall if Maris Piper is not available then a more waxy type of potato is preferred. Because of the space restrictions in the recipe templates on-line it is not always possible to give an expanded explanation. Yukon Gold is a US potato and is suggested for US readers. The recipe originally used Yukon Gold potatoes (it was kindly passed on to Nigella) and Maris Piper was the closest easliy available UK alternative to this potato. It is now possible to buy Yukon Gold potatoes in the UK from a small number of suppliers.