Tropic of Mom's Quick Fries

Even though I made my son's organic baby food at home and still today carefully prepare his meals so he has a balanced diet (only to watch him eat nothing but the carbs), my son has developed an intense liking of french fries.

I blame my mother, who gave him his first fry while I bit my tongue.

Anyway, today as we were arriving home late from being out all morning and playing hard at the playground, I mentioned lunch and suddenly he was like, "Fries? Fries? Fries? Fries?" Because the Man-cub says something repeatedly until you acknowledge what he is saying.

"I don't think we have any fries, sweetie," I said. "We have lots of other tasty stuff, though."

But then I washed my hands at the kitchen sink and noticed we have a big bag of potatoes.

And I thought, Why couldn't we have some fries?

Now, to me, french fry making is serious business. I have been indoctrinated into the idea that you have to chill the fries in ice water for 30 minutes, pat them dry, and then fry them in peanut oil in a deep fryer.

But I didn't have 30 minutes to spare. And no peanut oil. And I didn't feel like dragging out my deep fryer and using a bunch of oil for a couple handfuls of fries.

So, I improvised.

And let me tell you, the fries were great! If I say so myself.

I know french fries aren't the best thing to eat, but at least homemade fries are natural and don't have a long list of ingredients you can't pronounce.

And they sure are tasty and Man-cub approved.

Tropic of Mom's Quick Fries

Ingredients
1 potato
Vegetable oil
Salt

Directions
Pour about an inch of oil (1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on the size of your pot) into a saucepan and and place over medium-high heat.

Peel potato. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut in half again. Continue slicing potato into long, thin strips. Pat the fries dry.

Put the fries in the hot oil one handful at a time. Stir occasionally. When the fries turn golden brown (three to five minutes), remove them with a slotted spatula and place on a plate covered with a paper towel (or your own more environmentally friendly method of soaking up excess oil). Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately. Feeds one hungry mama and toddler as a side dish. Feel free to peel and slice another potato and use up that oil if you want seconds.