Fermented foods are great for your gut, but who knew chips could fall into that category?
Turning fries into a gut health staple sounds trickier than fixing the cost of living crisis, but thanks to the brains behind cult recipe creators Green Kitchen Stories, everyone’s favourite side just got a microbiome-loving makeover.
Mixing the sliced potato with cabbage, salt and water then leaving for three to five days gives a fermentation effect for a deeply vinegary taste while also removing some of the starch, meaning you can cook them crispier without the need to deep-fry. Plus, the skin-on technique maintains the fibre content that feeds your gut bacteria, so chips can go from occasional food to delicious essential. We know it’s a long wait for a bowl of fries, but don’t all the best things in life take time? Patience is a virtue after all…
Fermented fries recipe
Serves: 6-8 (as a side)
Total time: at least three days, plus 30 minutes cooking
Ingredients
50g kosher salt
2 litres water
1.5kg large organic potatoes
1 organic cabbage’s leaves
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
For the topping
1-2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tsp za’atar
Method
Place the kosher salt in a large bowl and add the water. Stir together until the salt completely dissolves.
Scrub the potatoes and slice into one to two centimetre thick fries, leaving the skin on.
Add the fries to the water and place the cabbage leaves on top, then top with a place to weigh them down so all the fries are submerged in the salt brine (the bring prevents mould from forming).
Cover the bowl with a lid and store in a cool, dark place for three to five days. The longer you store them, the more pungent the flavour will be.
When you’re ready to cook, discard the cabbage leaves and drain the fries, patting them dry with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
Divide the fries between the trays. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, toss to coat, then arrange the fries so they are not overcrowded.
Bake for around 30 minutes, or until a little blistered.
We serve these with a generous sprinkle of za’atar and finely chopped parsley, but you can also serve them with ketchup, miso mayo or tahini.
Recipe and images from Quick + Slow by Green Kitchen, out now.
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