Crispy Squashed Chips
Chips, Frites, Pommes Frites, French Fries…….
National Chip Week
Crispy Squashed Chips
- National Chip Map
CHIPS! Who doesn’t love them! I am a BIG chip fan, and my favourite snack or supper dish is a chip butty – home-made chips between two slices of bread with salt and vinegar, the king of all sandwiches. The first “chips” were in actual fact pieces of bread which were replaced with potatoes during wheat shortages. The first “chippies”, a colloquial slang term for a Fish and Chip shop, were Lees’s in Mosley, Lancashire, and Malin’s in London’s East End – they both opened for trade during the 1860’s. And, did you know that during the Second World War, the minister of food wouldn’t ration fish and chips because they provided good, cheap nourishment.
Crispy squashed Chips
Which brings me onto National Chip Week which runs between the 20th and 26th of February. I am all for promoting National Chip week and British potatoes, they make a wonderful meal and don’t have to be deep fried if you are watching your weight. I particularly liked the Love Potatoes website’s recipe ideas, they are suggesting chip recipes through the decades and there were some great serving ideas such as:
2012 Thick Chips, Chicken Skewers and a Black Pepper Dip: Blow your mates away with this fusion recipe, which combines the flavours from the East with classic cut chips from the West.
Fifties Crinkle Chips with Coronation Chicken: Coronation chicken was invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume to celebrate the coronation of Her Majesty the Queen in 1953. Today it is a classic salad and sandwich filling. Add a hotter curry paste if you like a bit more spice.
Other chip recipe and serving ideas were: Sixties Scampi and Chips with Homemade Salad Cream: A twist on a pub classic. If you want to go totally retro, serve the scampi in a basket; Nineties Homemade Chunky Chips with Roasted Tomatoes and Pepper Sauce: A cool 90’s classic, this will get your guests mouths-watering, and if you don’t want to share, it is a perfect snack when tucked up at home watching your favourite movie! And Noughties Posh Fish Finger Sandwich with Rocket Mayo Dip and Jenga Chips: These fish fingers give the childhood favourite a modern makeover.
Crispy Squashed Chips
The Choice Chip Awards
Here are the results of the Choice Chip Awards:
Peter’s Fish Factories, Ramsgate has won the ‘Best Chippy Chips’ and ‘The Three Tuns’ Sittingbourne has won the ‘Best Pub/Restaurant Chips’ categories in the Choice Chip Awards for Chip Week 2012. Congratulations to you both.
Other winners include:
Scotland: Moores Chip Shop, Castle Douglas
Wales: Trecenydd Fish Bar, Caerphilly
North East: Smith Chippy, South Shields
North West: Holly Tree Fish & Chips, Blackburn
The Midlands: Chamberlains, Oldbury
East of England: The Burton Road Fish & Chips Takeaway & Restaurant
South East: Peter’s Fish Factories, Ramsgate
London: Fish Bone, Cleveland Street
Back to my chips! I LOVE these chips, they are crispy squashed chips, which is achieved by squeezing them all in a pan and moving them around whilst they are cooking! NOT conventional I know, but that way you get those gorgeous little crispy bits……..the best way of frying them is in a shallow frying pan and just push them all in! I love these chips with a fried egg for a simple supper. That’s all the chip news for today, I will be back tomorrow with my usual Fish on Friday post, see you then, Karen
Crispy Squashed Chips
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 5 minutes |
| Total time | 35 minutes |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 900g Old potatoes (such as: King Edward, Maris Piper, Rooster or Sante)
- Vegetable Oil (for frying)
- salt (to season)
- Malt vinegar (to taste)
Note
The more you move the chips around the more crispy bits you get - it's not conventional know, but we love crispy squashed chips!
Directions
| Step 1 | Peel the potatoes and cut into sticks about 1cm thick and 8cm long. Put the potatoes in cold water to remove some of the excess starch prior to frying, then drain and dry. |
| Step 2 | Heat oil in a chip pan or deep frying pan and put all of the chips in. Fry until the chips are pale golden, moving them around during frying to get the squashed bits get all crispy. Remove them from the pan and drain on soft kitchen paper' |
| Step 3 | Just before serving, re-heat the oil and fry all the chips until they are very crisp and golden then drain them, and serve immediately with battered fish (wrapped in newspaper if you like) adding salt and vinegar to taste. Or, make a chip butty! |
Crispy Squashed Chips
Dominic says
Oh I used to love crinkle cut oven chip when I was a lad! Your squished chips are genius. Love those crispy chips!! Happy Chip Week. Great post!!
Karen says
Thanks Dom – I also LOVE the crinkle chops, lots of nooks and crannies for sauce and vinegar to lurk!
ruth says
Chips are delicious and something I don’t eat too often. I don’t fry my own (pot of boiling fat is some what terrifying), they are always oven baked or from a fish and chip shop.
Karen says
I ALSO love the oven baked type too, but now and then a wee treat is needed and that’s what I did yesterday!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
Anyone who doesn’t like chips must have something wrong with them! Having said that I never make them at home.
Karen says
I agree Sarah! I RARELY make chips at home, too much mess and time peeling and chipping…..however, now and then I indulge my husband’s desire for fried food as a treat and National Chip Week seemed the right time to make them!
Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb says
Hi Karen! How is going! =)
I love feench fries, of course, who doesnt!? but I prefer the thin ones not the fat chips type. anyway…. they r always easy to make at home right? 😉
see u around
Karen says
HI Helene, I am fine thanks! I on the other hand like thick chunky chips! However, I would not turn my nose up at some thin fries!
Choclette says
Karen, you are a fount of knowledge. Had no idea Fish & Chips were an exception to the rationing. Peeved to see no chip awards for the South West. And please no vinegar on my chip buttie, but I’ll have some of your most delicious looking crispie chips.
Karen says
Thanks! Yes I suppose the vinegar makes the butty soggy! Maybe the SW will scoop all the Cornish Pasty awards Choclette!
Lauren says
The squashed chips look lovely. Nothing beats a really excellent french fry! I’ll have to save the “Choice Chip Awards” list for our trip to England later this year.
Karen says
OH! Do let me know when you will be in England, maybe we can meet up! Thanks for your lovely comments as always….
Javelin Warrior says
I love fish and chips (although I don’t think anything on this side of the pond can rival what can be had in England) and these looks amazing. Honestly, I don’t think I’d require any fish for these chips – just some quiet time to enjoy =)
Karen says
SO glad you like my fries/chips! Wish I could teleport some to you!!
A Trifle Rushed says
I’ve never made chips at home, but my mother and my grandmother both made them when I was young. Just looking at this took me back to my favourite, fried egg and chips! Dipping a delicious chip in the runny yolk, fantastic.
Karen says
Thanks Jude! Chips at home are a treat, so MUCH peeling and frying! But they are a LOVELY treat when I do dust off my frying pan!
Lucy says
Oh my life, there is a National Chip Week! And I have missed three days of it already!! I better get celebrating!!! I love me a chip butty, I will make sure I squash my chips, you had me worried for a second I thought you were making ‘Squash’ chips, which I am sure are lovely and have their place, just not in National Chip Week. Thank you so much for bringing this important, in fact crucial event to my attention, it will be one of the highlights of my culinary year…Mmmm ‘Egg and Chips’!
Karen says
Ready steady frying pan lift off Lucy! Better RUN to catch up! NO, not “squash” chips BUT squashed crispy chips! Glad to have made your week a CHIP week!
laura@howtocookgoodfood says
How I used to love my fried egg & crinkle cut chips for tea when I was little. I was and still am mad on malt vinegar. Always put the vinegar on first before salting my chips. Only difference is now I add Maldon salt! Love chips x
Karen says
Aren’t crinkle chips JUST amazing! I still LOVE them! Yep, vinegar first so the salt sticks!
bakingaddict says
omg i’ve died and gone to chip heaven!! These look AMAZING especially the crispy squashed chips. I LOVE chips – chunky chips and skinny fries. Homemade of course, are the best 🙂
Karen says
Thanks! I love these chips when they get all squished up and all the edges go REALLY crispy!
Kentish Keg-Meg says
French fries or chips Mmmmmmmm. As soon as I get to the seaside to buy a bag of chips to eat by the sea is my first treat.
Karen says
I LOVE chips at the seaside, in a cone with salt and vinegar!
Marina@cowboycountryvegetarian says
Fantastic! I think I’ll make one now…
Karen says
Chips, naughty but nice!
Mandy says
Chips! Ooh it’s only brekkie time and now I want chips!! I’d completely forgotten about crinkle chips (how could I?!) thank you soo much for bringing back a childhood memory… fish & crinkly chips & brown sauce at my Granny’s….mmmmm….
Karen says
Thanks Mandy – crinkle cut chips seem to resonate with lots of people as a childhood memory, maybe all out grannies served them! Karen
Javelin Warrior says
Karen, I’ve already told you how much I adore these fries, but wanted to drop by to say I have featured this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup. Let me know if you have any objections and thanks as ever for the inspiration…
Karen says
THANKS so much for the feature in Food Fetish Friday, as ever, I am thrilled that one of my recipes made your prestigious round up, so it is fine thanks!
Ren Behan says
National Chip Week just as I start a diet! These look seriously lovely and I LOVE the National Chip Map!!
Karen says
I KNOW! It’s so unfair isn’t it Ren! How about low fat oven chips? xxx
Patricia says
Stopping at moors in castle Douglas was always a treat when we were heading home to stranraer from grannies in Dumfries. Mmmm might need to take a wee road trip
Karen says
Make that trip Patricia!