april's rosemary straw potatoes with lemon salt
To make your lemon salt, bash and mix together the lemon zest with the
salt in a pestle and mortar or Flavour Shaker until the salt is
flavoured, coloured and fine. Place in a dish. Use whatever you need
straight away or allow it to dry out for a couple of hours before
storing it. It might go hard, so just crush it up a bit before putting
it into a jam jar.
Heat 6–8cm/2–3 inches of sunflower oil in a sturdy pan and bring to
deep-frying temperature. You can do this by using a thermometer, or by
placing a small chunk of potato into the cold oil before you begin to
heat it. When the potato is floating and a dark golden brown the
temperature will have reached 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and you’re ready to
begin frying (remember to remove the piece of potato before you begin).
Pat the julienne strips dry with some kitchen paper to remove any
excess starch. Making sure you’ve got a slotted spoon or spider (which
is like a flat colander with a handle) and a big pile of kitchen paper
to one side, carefully place some of your potatoes into the pan of oil
(don’t overcrowd it) for a couple of minutes until golden brown and
crisp. Cook the potatoes like this in batches until they are all used
up. Add the rosemary for the last 30 seconds. Remove the chips and
rosemary to the kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil, and then dust
with your lemon salt. Serve straight away.