It was a late, cold, snowy night when I last returned from Switzerland. On the way home I went to our local fish and chip shop and whilst waiting, talked with the owner about their amazing chips. He revealed that they used Ramos potatoes and sold me half a bag to try out … they made the most amazing home cooked chips and potato wedges we’ve had.

Ramos Potatoes – The Difference

Up until now, Maris Piper and King Edwards have been my standard potato varietal. However after trying Ramos potatoes cooked a few different ways, I’ll be using them from now on for baked potatoes, chips/fries and potato wedges. For roast potatoes, Maris Pipers still win.

Ramos is a Dutch-bred main crop, with high yields of decent sized potatoes. They have thin skins, making them very easy to peel. According to the owner of the Lakeside Chippy, they also don’t suffer from issues that other potatoes have when stored at low temperatures.

Chips/fries made with Ramos potatoes had a lighter texture compared to Maris Pipers, with less discernible fat/grease. There wasn’t a lot beforehand, but now it’s as though the chips are oven-baked with a little oil drizzled over. The chips tasted light and fluffy, with a perfect crisp, slightly crunchy coating. And I didn’t need the oven bake stage of triple cooked duck fat chips.

Ramos potatoes are also less prone to under/over boiling and frying. With chipped Maris Pipers, there can be a 2 minute window from being under and over cooked in boiling water. For Ramos it’s at least 6 minutes. The same applies when frying and there was virtually no detritus or discoloured pieces left in the fryer afterwards.

Enough talk (typing?) though, let’s get down to a recipe.

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Sharp knife or potato peeler
• Colander
• Deep-fat fryer (or large pan)

There are several deep fat fryers available from Amazon and other retailers.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Ramos potatoes
• Sunflower oil

Method

1. Wash the potatoes to remove excess dirt, then peel them and rinse. Cut into chip sized chunks and place in a large saucepan with water in it.
2. Once all of the potatoes are cut, swirl the chips around in the water with your hand. Then drain the chips through a colander, replace the water in the saucepan. Repeat this until the water remains clear after swirling the chips around.
3. Drain the chips again, then return to the saucepan. Add boiling water and boil the chips until they are soft when prodded with a sharp knife, around 8-10 mins. Drain the chips and leave them in the colander. If you’re cooking steak and concerned about timing the chips to be ready at the right time, you can do this in advance and cook the chips later.
4. Heat up the oil in the deep-fat fryer (or large pan) to 180°C (no higher). With great care, add the chips to the fryer, and cook until they are crisp, 8-10 mins.

Sourcing Ramos Potatoes

Ramos potatoes aren’t widely available in supermarkets yet. I’ve seen them in farmers markets. Or you could ask to buy a bag from your local chip shop. You could also try growing them at home, something we are going to do. Ask your local garden centre for some seed potatoes of this varietal.