Baby Got Thrashed. Then Baby Did Good. Plus An Ode to French Fries. Yep, You Can Make Them At Home.

Remember how I said I was trying to only paddle out when conditions were in my sweet spot? Well, once again, I ignored my own advice and went out on a day that was a little bit rough. I got caught up in one sort of gnarly wave -- it wasn't that big, but it was messy -- and I pulled something in my shoulder so that kind of sucked for a couple of days.  But my next session was back to my ideal conditions. In fact it might have been even on the small side, as these waves didn't have a lot of pop to them, and when they did, as a nearby surf-chick said, they were closing out. She also brought up a problem that's been a recurring one for me, but one that I am still working hard to overcome -- I guess she was watching as I started to paddle into a wave, but I didn't quite catch it. She said, 'couple of more paddles and you would have had it!' I've heard that before. Many times, so yeah, I get it! Sometimes I just give up too soon. Another thing that happened the other day was I was a little late on starting to paddle on one wave, so I kind of nose-dived. That used to freak me out a lot, but not so much now, so more progress. All in all, though, even though conditions were super mellow, it was a fun day, and while I was in the parking lot strapping the board back to the roof, somebody nearby was eating fries from In-n-Out. I love French fries. Does anybody not? Would you trust a person that doesn't like French fries? I'm not sure that I would. Fries are one of those perfect foods, so simple -- you only need three ingredients, potatoes, oil and salt -- but so incredibly delicious and satisfying when done right. So of course I got a craving.

Did you know you can make really good French fries at home, like these here?

Well, you can. It's really not all that hard. And you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients or equipment. I think people are sometimes afraid of deep frying, but there's nothing really all that scary about it. The one piece of equipment you do need, though, is a deep-fat thermometer, so you know the temperature of your oil. This is important. If the oil isn't hot enough, your fries will be soggy. If it's too hot, they'll burn. But to make truly great French fries, you'll have to actually fry them twice, first at a lower temperature, which cooks the potatoes, and the second, at a higher temperature, which will crisp them. Here's the good news: you can do the first fry a couple of hours ahead, and let the potatoes rest. That way all you have to do when it's time to eat is bring the oil back up to high heat and fry the potatoes again for just a few minutes.  So the next time you get a craving for fries, why not try making them at home. It's not all that hard. Really, go for it!

Awesome French Fries
(serves 4)

2 large Russet Potatoes
1/2 to 1 quart canola or peanut oil
Sea salt

1. Peel potatoes (or, if you're like me and you prefer the peel on, don't!). Cut potatoes into strips about  1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Place potatoes in bowl and rinse with cold water several times, until water becomes clear. Cover potatoes in bowl with 1 inch water and add in an inch of ice cubes. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or up to several hours).
2. Place oil in a large pot or Dutch oven fitted with a deep-fry thermometer. The oil should fill the pot about half way (you want to leave several inches from the top free as the oil will bubble when you add the potatoes). Heat oil to 325 degrees.
3. Drain the potatoes. Using a kitchen towel or paper towels, blot them as dry as you can. When oil is at 325 degrees, lower in about half the potatoes (don't crowd the pot). Fry 5-7 minutes, until potatoes become soft and limp, and are just beginning to take on a light blond color. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue until all potatoes are fried this first time. The potatoes can now rest for up to 2 hours. Don't cover or refrigerate them. Just leave them at room temperature.
4. When ready to finish the fries, heat oil again, this time to 350 degrees. Again, don't crowd the pan! In batches fry the potatoes until crisp, golden and puffed, about 1-2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and you may keep them, as batches are done, in a 200 degree oven until all potatoes are fried. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve right away, with Heinz Ketchup or whatever dipping sauce you like.

Heading home from the surf, I stopped at McCall's Meat and Fish in Los Feliz and they had these beautiful bone-in rib eyes. So we had steak and fries, or as the French say, Steak Frites! You don't need a recipe for grilling a steak, do ya? Just get the best steak you can, salt and pepper it all over, and let it sit at room temperature for a good hour before cooking it.  Then get a nice charcoal fire going and add some wood chips if you dig a bit of smoke. Grill the steak until it's done how you like. Carve it up, and serve it with your beautiful crisp and salty fries. Easy, huh?